7 Things Meme

I've been tagged by Martha to do the "7 things about me" meme. (By the way, if you haven't read her blog, check it out. She has a wicked funny sense of humor and really cracks me up). This is my first time being tagged so I guess you could call me a "meme virgin". I'm about to divulge some little know facts about myself, but, don't let them scare you away. I promise, I'm a perfectly normal person (or so I keep telling myself). Here goes:

1. I am generally in a bad mood if it's a sunny day. I know this goes against the laws of nature, but, it's true. Give me an overcast, cloudy day anytime. Hubby says I must be wired wrong. When it's sunny, I tend to get a headache, not to mention that I can spot all the windows that need cleaning in my house or see the dust on our piano that I need to clean. At night, I'm constantly yelling at the kids to "turn off the lights". I just prefer darkness. Maybe I used to be a vampire. Scary.

2. I'm obsessive-compulsive. Seriously, it's getting worse as I get older. At night, I have my little ritual that I go through before bed (in order) -- checking to make sure the garage door is closed, checking to make sure the basement lights are out, checking that I turned off the water to my washing machine, and checking that my oven is turned off and that the coffee maker is unplugged (which is totally weird because I don't unplug any other appliance), making sure all the doors are locked. Checking all the kid's rooms. And, when I'm grocery shopping, I can't take the first item off the shelf, I have to reach back and take the fourth item. This one really gets hubby, drives him crazy...if we are lounging around on the couch watching tv, we like to cuddle up under a quilt. The quilt HAS to be right side up (the 'piecing' part has to be up, not against my skin). There's more, but, like I said, I don't want to scare you away. They probably have medication for this. I should check into that.

3. I hate to dust (see post #1). Seriously, I would scrub toilets till the cows come home. Just don't make me dust. Enough said.

4. I've had the same best friend, Anna, for 33 years. Our families knew each other before we were born. We were in kindergarten together, and from then on, we were inseperable. We know everything (good and bad) about each other. And, she's the one I call when I am upset or need to vent. We both have four kids. We have a pact that if one of us somehow ends up in a coma, the other will come to the hospital to do our pedicures (we both have a problem with untidy feet). And, if I die, she is to come onto my computer and let all my bloggy friends know (she also is directed to destroy certain items hidden in my house, I'm not SAYING it's a sex tape or sex toy, but, you think what you want). She's totally got my back!

5. I am a magazine junkie. I buy fashion magazines, decorating magazines, scrapbooking magazines, celebrity gossip magazines...I can't help myself. It's something that I'm really trying to work on.

6. I am nosey. Very. When we moved into our neighborhood, we were the first family to live here (it was a new development). Every time a car would drive by at night, I would jump up and look out the window. "Who is that?" "Why are they driving here?" After all, no one else even lived in the neighborhood yet. One night during my nosey nightwatch, I saw a truck pull into the garage of a house that was still under construction. I figured they were either a)kids looking for a place to make out or b)going to vandalize or steal from the house, so I called the police. The police came and ran them off. I should start a neighborhood block watch program or something.

7. I have a huge fear of deep water. If it's even up to my mid-chest, I cannot stand it. I do know how to swim, but, I wouldn't call myself a strong swimmer. I HATE going to the lake. I've swore that I will NEVER EVER go on a cruise ship (a huge bummer for hubby). I love the ocean, but, only if we're strolling along the shore, no more than knee deep. And, I try really hard not to project this fear of water onto my kids, but, I'm a nervous wreck when they are swimming or around water. On the other hand, hubby loves the water. He grew up going to the lake, water-skiing, boating...etc. His family does not understand or sympathize with my fear, and it can really tick me off. This has been a issue between us many times during our marriage. Last summer, we went to Florida with his family. One night we went out to dinner at a restaurant that was on the bay. There were docks where you could walk around to see the fishing boats. My sister-in-law decided she wanted to make a family picture on the dock. This particular part of the dock, was extremely narrow and had no railing or anything. There were twelve of us, and she wanted all of us to cram together on this narrow strip of wood with no railing! A couple steps to the right or left and you would be in the water. She asked another patron who happened to be standing by, if they would take the picture for us. Now, usually I am somewhat meek and quiet, so at first I didn't say anything. Then as she continued to try to get everyone posed for the picture, I started to get really freaked out. The kids were all over the place, there was no room, it was crowded (I'm about to hyperventilate at this point). I quietly mentioned that I thought we should move to another spot. I mentioned this twice but no one paid any attention. So, finally I totally lost it and started yelling "I CAN NOT STAND HERE, I DO NOT WANT TO DO THIS"...etc. I made a real spectacle of myself, I tell ya. All the people standing nearby stopped talking and looked over to see what was going on. There was even a small stage on the dock with a band playing, and yes, even the some of the band members looked over to see what all the commotion was. Hubby was mortified, but I could not help it. We left shortly after and as soon as we got in our car to drive away, I burst out crying (I tried to hold it back because the kids were with us, but, there was no holding it back). Maybe I should cry in front of my kids more often. They were totally quiet and when we got back to the condo, they were walking right next to me, holding my hand, rubbing my back. I suppose they thought I had lost it. Hopefully they aren't too traumatized.

So there you have it. Now, you know some weird little tidbits about me. Hopefully, you won't hold them against me and you'll still come by and visit my blog. If you would like to do the "7 things" meme, go for it. Just post it on your blog and leave me a comment here so I can come over and read all about ya. Thanks, Martha! That was pretty liberating, LOL!

~K