Getting to Know Me…

Wow, it’s been a while since I last wrote on here!  Guard-related conference last week, then just busy, busy, busy this week! 

So here’s the latest: 

I felt the baby move for the first time on Sunday, Aug 17th.  It wasn’t flutters like I’d read it would be.  It felt like an index finger barely pushing me from the inside.  Wierd.  It didn’t happen again for a while, but over the last few days I’ve felt it more often.  Still no flutters, though…maybe those come later; who knows.

We bought a house on Wednesday.  Almost nobody knew about it.  I called my parents, and when I told them we’d bought a house, I think they initially thought that we’d made an offer that was accepted, not that we’d already closed!  They said we’re just full of surprises these days.  It’s an awesome house, definitely one that God wanted us to have, because on paper it never should’ve happened.  Never.  That’s one of the reasons we didn’t tell anyone…we were going to be shocked if it actually worked out.  Our lender, who is also a friend of ours, said “Y’all must have God’s favor on y’all life”.  He’s right, I believe we do.  He provided a WAY better house than we planned to buy, exactly where we wanted to be, with VERY little money out of pocket up front.  God is good–all the time.

our new house

Next thing–we went for my doctor appointment yesterday, and had my second (and last) sonogram.  I’d had the first one at eight weeks, just to see how far along I was, so this one was the one where we were hoping to get a good view of our new child and hopefully find out what kind of baby we were expecting.  We were both convinced that it was a boy.  We were wrong.  Megan (and only a few others) were right.  My dad and brother are thrilled–they were ready for a little girl in the fam.  All of the rest of us were thrilled, too, but we really didn’t have a preference like they did.   Looks like she has two arms and two legs, a good-sized head, and a perfect spine.  Hard to really see anything else.  We also got to see her move, which was the closest I’ve gotten to being teary-eyed.  Pretty cool to see that little person moving around, and then realized that she was moving around inside of ME! 

our little girl

So this evening and tomorrow we will be moving into our new house so we can officially start preparing for the arrival of our little girl.  Wow.  What a week.

I’ll add more as I think of them.

I’m really good at parallel parking and will choose that over a regular spot unless I am running late.

I love being a member of the military, and I love the respect that comes with being an officer. 

I am not nearly as ‘driven’ as people think I am.  It’s the fact that they think I am that actually drives me.

I want to be on the cover of Oxygen magazine before I’m 32– and IN it by at least 31.

I was a tomboy until I went to college–loved big shirts, loose jeans, and combat boots.  Guess the combat boots stuck because I got a job where I’m actually required to wear them now.

I’ve moved 33 times in my life, lived in five different states, and about 11 different towns.  And no, my parents were not in the military.  They just got itchy feet after being in the same place to long, and then it was time to go.  Now I’m the same way–I feel stagnant after a year or two.

I don’t believe in having the same job for a lifetime, or even for more than about two years.  I think people get too comfortable and/or complacent, quit pushing themselves, and stop growing.  I never wanted to be that person so I always look for new things that I think I can’t do, then try to do them.

My husband and I have our own language–if people listened to half the stuff we say to each other, they’d have absolutely no idea what we were saying.  And I love that about us.

I think my husband is one of the smartest people on the planet.  He can talk in circles around me, but is kind enough not to.

I hate watching anything having to do with politics even though I know I should.

I plan to homeschool our kids, although sometimes I’m not sure I’ll do a good job. 

We’ve always planned to have two kids, but now are thinking about having more than that.

I wish I was more outspoken about my faith.  I’m getting better, though.  I work it into a conversation whenever it fits. 

I’m terrified of arguing about my beliefs because I’m afraid someone will back me into a corner and I won’t know how to defend myself.

I’m a people-pleaser to a fault–makes it hard to be a good leader sometimes.

I’m horrible about keeping in touch with people…regardless of whether it’s friends, family, or whomever.

I hate when people misspell things, and I hate it even more when I do it and don’t realize it.

I had surgery to remove ovarian cysts the size of softballs when I was about 22…the doctor turned out to be not very trustworthy so sometimes I wonder if I ever had them to begin with.

We had our kids’ names picked out two or three years before I got pregnant.  If we have more than two, we’ll have to think of more.

I’m almost fluent in Spanish–and I LOVE the language.  Just wish I had more opportunities to speak it.

I would love to learn ALL the  Romance Languages…someday.

I have been to OR through 14 countries (counting the United States).  15 if you count Vatican City.

My favorite city in the world is Rome, hands down.  It took my breath away.

I read people.com, foxnews.com, and cnn.com almost every day.  Ben always wonders why I know things like that the world’s tallest man (a man from China) looked all over the world for a wife and ended up marrying a gal who lived just a few miles away.  It’s only ’cause I read the news…and that, for whatever reson, is considered news.

If you tell me something, I will probably forget.  If I see it in writing, I probably won’t.

I wish I took more pictures.

I like driving a vehicle that is paid off and have no desire to ever have a car payment again.

My GPA for my first semester of college (14 hours while working part-time) was 1.79.  My GPA for my last semester of college (19 hours while working full-time) was 3.5.  Guess there was nowhere to go but up!  I definitely work better when I have too much to do.

It took me almost seven years to finish my degree.

I’m a procrastinator. 

I smoked for almost five years.  Oh, and did I mention that I’m allergic to cigarette smoke?

My favorite cookie is Nutter Butter.  It’s one of the reasons I donate blood every time I’m eligible.  They ALWAYS have them there (and I refuse to buy them because I’d eat the whole package in one sitting.)

Okay, I think that’s PLENTY of stuff about me for now…can’t let you think you know me TOO well!