Seven Things You Might Not Know About Me

Some time ago, my friend IRL and fellow blogger, Diana, "tagged" me which means I'm supposed to create a list of things you may not know about me and then "tag" someone else. Well, I don't know very many bloggers so I've procrastinated. I've also had a hard time coming up with items for said list. It's worthy of noting that Diana's tag initiated the decision to make my blog public. I'm enjoying having it "out there" so thanks for that, Diana. :)

Without further ado, here are my seven things in chronological order; prepare to be wowed:

1. I graduated from Radford University with a Master's degree in Counseling after passing my comprehensive exams with honors.

2. I met Pierce Brosnan when I was the Director of Residence Life at Manhattanville College. A scene in the movie The Thomas Crown Affair was shot in the administrative office building on campus, which was a castle. I told him how great he looked in person and he responded that he never knew how to take that considering the long hours in the makeup chair. I felt kind of silly, but it was neat meeting him, nevertheless.

3. I delivered both Kathryn and Alexander without drugs, although that wasn't really by choice in Kathryn's case. She arrived 2 1/2 hours after my first contraction; so fast, in fact, that Nate and my mom (my coaches) missed the delivery by 10 minutes. I was in labor with Juliana for about 4 hours before her arrival. I had an epidural with her and enjoyed it tremendously. :) Alexander also arrived 4 hours after my first contraction and was my best birth experience by far. He came when he was ready (albeit 5 days late) and I think that really made a difference.

4. I've lost 40 pounds since the birth of my third child and currently weigh less than I did in high school, as well as 10 pounds less than on my wedding day. I've become someone who enjoys working out and I'm considering looking into teaching a class at the gym. At 37 years old, I have significantly more muscle tone and am in better shape than ever in my life...who'd of thunk it?! I'll be posting about my weight loss journey soon, complete with before and current pictures. (I'm not sure I'll ever be an "after"; I'm too much of a perfectionist to feel like I'm "there", although I love when people tell me I am!)

5. I'm seriously considering having my boobs put back where they belong after nursing three babies for a combined total of 2 years and 9 months. And, a tummy tuck ain't out of the question, either.

6. I'm very much a people pleaser and have been for as long as I can remember. Therefore, it drives me nuts when people don't like me. I figure it must be based on some misunderstanding because I think I'm a pretty good person: friendly, helpful, caring, compassionate...you get the picture. I'm finally realizing that sometimes it just doesn't matter. I really need to get over myself and accept that there are some people I'm just not going to be close to for whatever reason and, sadly, that can include family.

7. I love to cook and bake. About a year ago, I considered taking some culinary classes, but I haven't quite gotten around to it. I took cake decorating classes last summer instead and that was a sufficient creative outlet (see sidebar!).

As I mentioned, I don't "know" many bloggers and I'm not sure who has previously been tagged. But, based on a quick search of her site that didn't indicate a tag with either the words "seven" or "things you don't know", I'm going to tag Mean Mommy hoping she doesn't mind and that I haven't violated blogger etiquette rules of which I'm unaware.