300 and Counting...!

In honor of my 300^th post, please enjoy these 300 random facts about me.  The first 100 are from my 100^th post, but the rest are all new!  (Feel free to skim--there's a lot of information here.)

 

1. My zodiac sign is Taurus.
   
2. I use letter-size legal pads to take writing notes.
   
3. I have two moles on my right palm (one on the pad of my pinky finger, the other on the side of my index finger).
   
4. I have shamrock and NaNoWriMo stickers on my laptop.
   
5. I write more productively when I'm watching Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, or Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
   
6. I have to write things down to keep track of them, so instead of throwing away a piece of paper, I cut it into quarters and use the back as scrap paper (I have a stack of scrap paper on my desk).
   
7. I’m left-handed.
   
8. When I was in high school, I planned to be a high school band director after college.
   
9. My favorite meal is corned beef and cabbage cooked in the slow cooker all day.
   
10. I have Irish heritage.
    
11. I was in class in 2001 when the planes hit the towers and the Pentagon.
    
12. I talk to my cats about my writing.
    
13. When I make my bed, I have to do it the way my mother taught me. I’ve tried to be sloppy with it, but I just can’t.
    
14. I love wrapping gifts.
    
15. I’m afraid of heights.
    
16. I've had chicken pox twice.
    
17. My favorite dessert is cheesecake.
    
18. I once played Mrs. Pearce in my high school's production of My Fair Lady. I wore a fat suit.
    
19. When someone wakes me, even if they’re quiet and extremely gentle about it, I get startled awake.
    
20. My favorite movie is Stranger Than Fiction.
    
21. I prefer black ink over blue.
    
22. I lived in Germany for three years when my father was stationed there.
    
23. My skin reacts badly to yellow gold, but I can wear white gold.
    
24. My husband and I got married a few yards from where we originally met.
    
25. The first story I ever wrote was about the adventures had by a red kite, which included being stuck in a tree.
    
26. I buy purses only if they’re big enough to hold a book and a pad of paper.
    
27. My favorite coffee mug has the faces of literary women on it.
    
28. I have a girl crush on Mariska Hargitay.
    
29. I’ve always wanted to learn to quilt.
    
30. I have pens hidden all over our bedroom.
    
31. I was on my high school’s speech team.
    
32. My favorite author is Jasper Fforde.
    
33. I’m a bit of a packrat.
    
34. I was the stage manager for my college's production of Godspell.
    
35. I keep fortune cookie fortunes.
    
36. I took a directed study in college that allowed me to listen to an epic poem written and recorded by my professor.
    
37. If I could, I'd live on a cruise ship (as a guest, of course). 
    
38. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.
    
39. I never make edits in red ink.
    
40. The only soda I really drink is Dr. Pepper.
    
41. When I find a penny, I put it in my left shoe for luck.
    
42. When I was about thirteen, I wanted to be a psychologist.
    
43. The style of my wedding dress was discontinued a week before I purchased my dress (thankfully, I was able to get one that was altered to fit!).
    
44. When I have trouble with a character, I do some cleaning, and usually I come up with what I need.
    
45. My favorite visual artist is Vincent Van Gogh.
    
46. When I was a kid and my siblings went to the toy department while Mom shopped, I went to the home office aisles to gaze longingly at pens and paper.
    
47. I paid for college on my own.
    
48. I love sweet iced tea.
    
49. I don’t buy ground coffee.
    
50. I have two quilts made 100% by hand by my great-grandmother.
    
51. I love to have pictures of my friends and family around me.
    
52. I love having plants around me, but they usually die in my care.
    
53. I hate not knowing what time it is.
    
54. I like to watch people, then write character sketches about who I think they are based on what I saw of them in observation.
    
55. I’m supposed to wear my eyeglasses more often than I do.
    
56. I like to scrapbook in my free time.
    
57. My coffee house book started as an idea for NaNoWriMo.
    
58. When I want to learn about something, I research it almost obsessively until I'm satisfied with my level of knowledge.
    
59. I do my best to not regret the decisions I make.
    
60. I hate doing dishes, but love doing laundry.
    
61. I married my college sweetheart.
    
62. I played B-flat clarinet in school, and my junior and senior years, I was the drum major for the school's marching and pep bands.
    
63. I love Boho style clothing.
    
64. I'm very particular about how my books, office space, and writing are organized, but am pretty laid back about the rest of my organization skills.
    
65. My favorite mixed drink is a margarita over ice (with salt, thanks).
    
66. I love to watch reality television shows when I have nothing else to do.
    
67. I would go barefoot everywhere if I could.
    
68. After graduating college, I spent some time traveling all over central and southern Illinois recruiting students for my alma mater.
    
69. I’ve never been totally happy with a hair style I’ve had.
    
70. I feel terrible when I have to discipline my kitties, so a while after that, I give them cookies (cat treats) to show them I'm not mad anymore.
    
71. I’m a first-generation college graduate in my family.
    
72. My favorite Christmas carol is O Come, All Ye Faithful.
    
73. I’ve moved 19 times in my life.
    
74. My cats are all named after fictional characters.
    
75. My coffee house book might include a short story that’s all dialogue.
    
76. I have a 100% organic cotton t-shirt.
    
77. I’m a huge advocate of domestic violence awareness.
    
78. My favorite hot tea is Earl Grey.
    
79. I sang a duet at my high school graduation ceremony.
    
80. My favorite photo of my husband and I was one of the first taken of us together (in Cozumel, Mexico, January 2005).
    
81. I like reading stories about people that play with reality vs. imagination (“The Yellow Wall Paper,” The Bell Jar, The Catcher in the Rye, Finding Alice, etc.).
    
82. On my desk chair I have a sit-upon my mom made me when I was a Brownie Girl Scout out of a rag rug and some old towels (she also stitched my name on it in pink yarn).
    
83. My favorite pair of jeans are so worn that the label on the back is completely gone.
    
84. I had surgery in 2005 to have a few cysts removed. 
    
85. My favorite color is green.
    
86. I've never seen Animal House.
    
87. I make a task list every week, then create to-do lists each day based on that list.
    
88. My favorite summer smell is a fresh lilac bush.
    
89. When my husband and I get our big house, I get a library.
    
90. And a huge wrap-around porch.
    
91. I load my dishwasher the way my mother taught me.
    
92. I take notes with ball point pens, but "important" writing is always done with roller ball pens.
    
93. I created a drink recipe at the coffee house I worked at in college (now closed...the coffee house, not the college).
    
94. I went dumpster-diving to rescue books from being trashed and, as a result, got a few books that were published in the early 1900s. (Yeah, I know. I'm awesome!)
    
95. If I ever win the lottery, I'm going to become a rare book collector.
    
96. When I get frustrated, my head gets itchy.
    
97. I still have my tonsils and appendix.
    
98. I would be content to be a day sleeper and night writer.
    
99. When I decided to pursue a career in writing, I thought I'd have to "settle" for journalism until I finished my novel.
    
100. If I could visit anywhere in the world I would choose to visit India.
     
101. I have a scar on my right upper arm where I had a mole removed years ago.
     
102. When I'm falling asleep or just waking up, I have a habit of rubbing my feet together.
     
103. I can't sleep with socks on, no matter how cold my feet are.
     
104. My favorite TV show is The Big Bang Theory.
     
105. My ideal piece of office furniture is an antique roll-top desk.
     
106. I love writing with black, felt tip markers.
     
107. I want to home school my children.
     
108. I converted to Roman Catholicism at Easter Vigil in 2004.
     
109. I wish I could have a little cottage in Ireland and go there to write.
     
110. I have a beautiful glass quill that Hubby gave to me when he visited Disney World with his family.
     
111. I graduated college with a minor in Liberal Studies.
     
112. I'm a bit clumsy.
     
113. In high school, I came close to competing in the State Speech Competition both my junior and senior years.
     
114. I've never met/bumped into/seen a celebrity.
     
115. One of my favorite places in Rockford, Illinois is Anderson Gardens.
     
116. If our family ever gets a dog, I want it to be an Australian Shepherd.
     
117. I have conversations with Azshara in which she meows responses to what I say.
     
118. I have an extensive family tree of my Irish family that dates back to the 17^th century (including images of the Acres family crests).
     
119. I love mint milkshakes.
     
120. I hate camping.
     
121. My favorite thing to do on a weekend morning when I wake up is to stay in bed for a while watching B movies on TV.
     
122. I still haven't made my honeymoon scrapbook.
     
123. I love taking naps.
     
124. Every pet my family has ever owned (except for fish or hamsters) has been adopted or rescued.
     
125. I like cooking, but don't cook very often (at least lately).
     
126. My children are going to be rocked in a rocking chair my grandmother gave me.
     
127. I have a heart murmur.
     
128. I've never owned my own car.
     
129. I wear my watch on my right wrist.
     
130. I fall asleep better with the TV on (with low volume).
     
131. I've experienced things (paranormal) I can't explain.
     
132. For most of my life, I shared a room with someone.
     
133. I'm not a fan of Jon & Kate Plus 8.
     
134. I'm a little jealous that Jaina and Warrington like to cuddle up to Hubby more than me.
     
135. I can't sleep unless I know Hubby is nearby.
     
136. I've never had my wisdom teeth removed.
     
137. When I get stressed/frustrated, my left lower eyelid twitches.
     
138. Watching Tabatha's Salon Takeover makes me not want to get my hair cut.  Not because of Tabatha (I love her!), but because of the horrible, horrible salon conditions she tries to fix.  Are salons really like that?
     
139. Since moving to Florida, I've found myself much more comfortable in skirts and dresses.
     
140. I love music, but rarely listen to the radio.
     
141. I enjoy the peacefulness that comes with being the only person in the house that's awake.
     
142. Lately, even though I'm pregnant and avoiding caffeine, I've been craving a great cup of coffee.
     
143. I love taking road trips with Hubby.
     
144. I can't stand it when I think someone might be upset with me, even if it's something beyond my control.
     
145. I was born the day after Mother's Day.
     
146. When I was younger, I was lactose intolerant and had to drink soy milk.
     
147. I don't like confrontation to the point that I will stay quietly upset rather than confront someone who has upset me.
     
148. I hate my feet.
     
149. I loved both the concept and execution of True Beauty.
     
150. Even when I was as young as 12, I knew I wanted to be a mom someday.
     
151. I have a scar on my tongue that was caused by a piece of orthodontic hardware.
     
152. Daisies are my favorite flower.
     
153. I'd love to live in a cute, little beach cottage.
     
154. Although I enjoy a nice gourmet meal, at heart I'm a meat-and-potatoes kind of girl.
     
155. I'm easily startled.
     
156. I'm a relatively light sleeper.
     
157. Almost every morning, once I get up and get going, I sneeze at least five times (usually closer to ten times) for no apparent reason.
     
158. Creating this list has been quite enlightening for me.
     
159. I love the smell of a clean baby.
     
160. When I saw Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I wanted to be a gypsy.
     
161. Thanks to high school band, I'm at least ten minutes early for things.
     
162. Until I got pregnant, I kept my nails short because they're weak.  (Since pregnancy, they're stronger and grow much faster.)
     
163. I hate driving.
     
164. I love taking pictures, though I think I'm not that great at it.
     
165. When I shower, I always use two towels (one for my hair).
     
166. When I was very little, I had two imaginary friends named Big Moo and Little Moo, but I don't remember them.
     
167. I intend to get a ring sling or wrap so I can wear my baby.
     
168. I've never been skiing.
     
169. One year, I was a witch for Halloween.  My mom painted my face green.  That year I handed out candy, and when the doorbell rang one time, I opened the door and made a very scary face…only to find a two-year-old girl on the other side, dressed as a princess.  She froze and refused to come up on the porch.  She put her bucket on the porch step and hid behind her dad while I put candy in for her.
     
170. My favorite memory of my wedding day was right after the ceremony when Hubby and I went downstairs and had a moment alone before the photos and reception.
     
171. I hate living so far from my mom and siblings.
     
172. I'm nervous about traveling from central Florida to central Illinois in the middle of the summer while I'm seven and a half months pregnant for my sister's wedding.
     
173. When I get published (when not if), I want my first book signing to be at MacMurray College, my alma mater.
     
174. If I sleep too late in the day, regardless of how much or little sleep I've gotten, I get a headache.
     
175. I've never tried a cigarette or any kind of drugs.
     
176. My books are always alphabetized by author's last name.
     
177. My favorite movie is The Princess Bride.
     
178. Though I'm not great at it, I enjoy playing Scrabble.
     
179. When I was a kid, my parents often played Skip-Bo over brunch on the weekends, so I assumed that when I got married, my husband and I would do the same.
     
180. I can't stand to watch medical shows, or shows/movies in which bones are broken.  It gives me the willies.
     
181. I hate the sound of teeth grinding.
     
182. I have always been closer to my youngest brother, Ryan, than any of my siblings.
     
183. I don't sleep well on my back.
     
184. I was never really involved in sports as a child.
     
185. As a child, I broke my wrist when I fell off a clothes line pole I'd been swinging on as if it was the uneven bars in the Olympics.
     
186. I'm one of the quieter members of my (somewhat) loud Irish family.
     
187. I want to visit Europe and take Hubby to some of the places I've been in Germany.
     
188. I was a cheerleader in middle school.
     
189. I don't sleep well in cars.
     
190. I seem to always hit my knees on tables and chairs.
     
191. My hips pop if I sit cross-legged and put my knees to the floor.
     
192. One of the first things I bought myself for college was a black leather portfolio with the school's emblem on it.  I still have it and use it every day.
     
193. Ever since middle school, I have to have a day planner so I can keep track of my appointments, deadlines, etc.  If I don't write them down, I forget.
     
194. I love a plain bagel with a nice, thick layer of cream cheese for breakfast.
     
195. I feel more at home when I have books nearby.
     
196. I use the expression "Coolio."  Often.
     
197. One of my favorite dresses is a black knee-length wrap dress with the outlines of pink hibiscus flowers all over it.
     
198. I would much rather be the one taking pictures rather than be in them.
     
199. If my husband stops snoring in the night, it wakes me up and I check to make sure he's okay.
     
200. I love the versatility of long hair, but the fun of pixie-short hair, so I often go back and forth between lengths.
     
201. I can usually identify an episode of Law & Order within the first few moments of the episode (before the title screen comes up).
     
202. I love Eggs Benedict.
     
203. I'm having a son.
     
204. I don't particularly care for lots of tinsel on a Christmas tree.
     
205. I like having candles around as decorations.
     
206. Though I don't always succeed, I try to give our fur babies equal attention.
     
207. After getting over the initial joy and overwhelming love of seeing my son for the first time (in an ultrasound), I realized he looked like an alien.
     
208. One of my favorite Christmas decorations is a beautiful porcelain figurine of the Holy Family inside a big "O" as part of the word "love."
     
209. My wedding scrapbook was the first I ever made.
     
210. I usually have a very organized office space, but right now it's a mess, so I've been working elsewhere.
     
211. Though I love long nails, my fingernails are pretty weak.
     
212. My favorite perfume is a scent from Bath & Body Works that isn't made anymore.
     
213. One of the best pizzas I've ever had was a chicken and spinach alfredo my mom and I got one night for "girls' night in."  Delish!
     
214. My sixteenth birthday was on Mother's Day.
     
215. My favorite journal is a simple black, fabric cover with a silver inkwell on the front and lined pages.  It's my writing journal.
     
216. Before my Confirmation, my grandmother gave me a beautiful Rosary that has green beads with little shamrocks on them.
     
217. My favorite purse is a striped shoulder bag I got online from The Little Bazaar.
     
218. When I make a Reuben sandwich, all I put on it is corned beef, a little mustard, and cheese (preferably Swiss).
     
219. I have a great picture of Hubby where he's sitting upside down in a mock shuttle from the Kennedy Space Center; it's in a cool frame I got from the gift shop.
     
220. Though I don't write with pencils very often, I can't stand it if they're dull when I do use them.
     
221. I love getting bags (tote, messenger, etc.) the way most women love getting shoes.
     
222. I have high arches and narrow feet, which a friend once told me is great for ballet.  (I'm not a dancer.)
     
223. I wish my parents had made me take piano as a child.
     
224. I love surprising people, but always try very hard to figure out surprises and secrets others keep from me.
     
225. One of my favorite sandwiches is a tomato and bacon sandwich with a bit of mayo on it.
     
226. I hate my vacuum cleaner and wish it would die so I can get a new one.
     
227. Dusting is one household chore I really don't mind.
     
228. I love feeling my fur babies lying on my feet in the middle of the night.
     
229. I like to stand outside for a few minutes while it's sprinkling to feel the cool water on my face.
     
230. When I was in middle school, I wanted to be a professional tennis player.
     
231. I haven't yet decided if I'm going to dye my hair when it starts to turn gray.
     
232. There are a few television shows that I enjoy, but unless I'm actually watching them, I forget that I like them.
     
233. I rarely wear heels.
     
234. I've had the same pair of sunglasses for three or four years.
     
235. I rarely wear socks.
     
236. I hate raising my voice, but will if I have to.
     
237. My bed is very tall and heavy.
     
238. I've visited the Czech Republic.
     
239. I'm not a huge fan of the Uno card game, but I love Uno pizza.
     
240. Before getting pregnant, I rarely ate breakfast, but I love things that are traditional breakfast foods.
     
241. I do not like vanilla-scented candles.
     
242. I've never been horseback riding.
     
243. Staplers don't like me.
     
244. When Hubby and I got married, his mother gave me a beautiful nativity scene from Our Lady of the Snows Shrine, where Hubby proposed.
     
245. I love soft, chewy, almost-undercooked chocolate chip cookies.
     
246. I own a coffee cup that I can only use as a pencil/pen holder because of the paint that was used in it.
     
247. I love how motivated I feel when I'm in the middle of NaNoWriMo or ScriptFrenzy.
     
248. I hate feeling rushed on writing projects.
     
249. My favorite song is "Colors" by Kira Willey, which is a song used on a Dell commercial.
     
250. I have a great picture of Frazzoo and me at our college graduation.  (Upon seeing the picture, she described herself as "such a tool.")
     
251. For Christmas, Hubby gave me a green blanket with sleeves.
     
252. I'm not a big water drinker, but when I do drink it, it has to be very cold.
     
253. My ears are not pierced.
     
254. I'm going to turn my favorite jeans (which no longer fit, really) into a butt purse.
     
255. The first thing I did when I finished my senior final exams in college was go to the campus bookstore and buy myself an alumni t-shirt.
     
256. I hate having blood drawn and have to have someone there to distract me so I don't freak out.
     
257. I've been blessed to not have been to many funerals in my life.
     
258. One of my favorite things to do when I'm lying in bed at night is to play fetch with Warrington.
     
259. When I'm feeling overwhelmed or frustrated with a writing project, I take a break and update/organize my writing files to make me feel better before getting back to work.
     
260. About a week after my ovarian laproscopy (in 2005), I stood up in a friend's wedding.  It was quite an adventure.
     
261. Before getting pregnant, I got heartburn/indigestion pretty easily.  Now that I'm pregnant, it's a daily occurrence.
     
262. My mother made me a St. Louis Cardinals garter as my keepsake garter for the wedding, since Hubby is a big Cardinals fan.
     
263. My mind is far less organized than my writing space.
     
264. Though I love many art and independent films, as well as most dramas, sometimes I'm a sucker for a bad comedy.
     
265. About a year and a half ago, I found a calculator that I love and keep at my desk to use.
     
266. My favorite wedding photo is of Jason dipping and kissing me outside of the chapel where we were married.
     
267. I have a copy of Jasper Fforde's The Big Over Easy I got personalized and autographed when I went to his book signing in St. Louis.
     
268. My second favorite wedding photo is of our whole wedding party, and I'm reading a Jasper Fforde book in the middle of it.
     
269. Though I love writing from home full time, I think I would also enjoy a full time writing position in an office setting.
     
270. I have a set of coasters with kitties on them that I got for Christmas last year.
     
271. I have about three copies of The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.
     
272. I have about three copies of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.
     
273. I still have and use a green, plastic pencil case I got for fifty cents my freshman year of college.
     
274. I feel lost without a pen close at hand.
     
275. I love the satisfaction that comes with making HTML work.
     
276. I have a great eyeglasses case that depicts one of Monet's Water Lilies pieces.  I got it from the Art Institute of Chicago.
     
277. I always keep a bottle of lotion on my desk, so if I need to take a moment to think, I can combat my dry skin at the same time!
     
278. Though I have a Twitter account, I haven't fully figured out my place in the Twitter world.  Yet.
     
279. My favorite scent of lotion is Eucalyptus Spearmint from Bath & Body Works.
     
280. I've never anticipated the release of a book as much as I'm anticipating the release of Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde, which will become available in December 2009.
     
281. My keychain is an embroidered blue butterfly from Turkey that Hubby brought me after going to a travel trade show with his mom (for her business).
     
282. I love Kraft Macaroni & Cheese crackers!
     
283. Around Christmas, I went with Hubby's family to see The Trial of Ebeneezer Scrooge on stage, which was really a lot of fun!
     
284. I keep my paperclips in a beautiful heart-shaped trinket box Hubby got me on a cruise with his family a few years ago.
     
285. Coca Cola upsets my stomach, but Pepsi doesn't.
     
286. My six-word autobiography is: "Writes often, loves fiercely, drinks coffee."
     
287. I have two Fforde books that were once in libraries (no, I did not steal them).
     
288. One of the most interesting books I've read on the issue of mental illness was Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament by Kay Redfield Jamison.
     
289. On my wedding day, I carried a prayer card of Our Lady of the Snows that I bought from the national shrine just after Hubby proposed to me.
     
290. As of March 31^st, I have read six books in 2009.
     
291. I love filling out surveys, whether it be a meme or a nationwide survey.
     
292. I used to joke that when I was ready to invest in stocks, I would invest in Miracle Ear, since my generation listens to music so loudly.
     
293. I would love a nice sewing machine.
     
294. When I was in college, I was given a St. Francis of Assisi medal that came from his hermitage in Germany.
     
295. I'm not a big fan of vacuuming.
     
296. Every time I feel Wyatt kick, I can't help but think of the first time I heard his heartbeat.
     
297. I love the way my nails look when I get a French manicure, but the upkeep prevents me from having them done except for special occasions.
     
298. The next time Hubby and I take a vacation, I want to go to Key West and see the Hemingway house.
     
299. I have a Rosary from Medugorje.
     
300. It was hard to come up with 300 random factoids for this list.