Friday Fun - Feb. 20th

Here's ten more questions from Childhood and School, just for fun!

1. In what organizations and extracurricular activities did you participate? Elementary school: Girl Scouts, church choir, art classes. Senior High: Environmental club, Natural Resources "Explorers," SADD, church youth group and mission trips, Peer Counseling, Circle of FIRE (a group of leaders in high school that signed a pledge to not drink or do drugs, and educated their classmates on making good choices), serving meals at Simpson Shelter (a homeless shelter), baby-sitting, and I was our neighborhood dog-watcher when the neighbors went away...

2. What tokens of your childhood do you wish you had saved? Ha ha ha - what haven't we saved? I have my favorite stuffed animals, books, Barbies, T-shirts, and school projects. It's all taking up room in my closet - and some is still in my parents' basement. Maybe that will be a big summer project... To go through it all and decide what really needs to be kept... :)

3. Did you enjoy physical education in school? HA HA HA! Uh... No. I was always the kid that couldn't breathe when I ran, could never climb the rope or do a pull-up, and was certainly not competitive when doing team sports... There was a time in elementary school when PE was fun - square-dancing and gymnastics. I did well on the uneven bars, surprisingly! And I loved the square-dancing units. I had one boy who always picked me when it was "boys' pick." When I asked him why he always picked me (wasn't I brave?) - he told me it was because I had the softest hands in the class! LOL How cute...

4. What scary creatures did you think were in your childhood bedroom? I saved up cereal box tops for a Michael Jackson/ET set - an audio tape, read-along book, and giant poster. I hung the poster inside my closet door in my room (in first grade, I had a major crush on Michael Jackson... Yikes!) - but at night, all I could think of was ET in my closet... And if the door wasn't closed, the poster would scare the you-know-what out of me. I would lie awake and watch the poster, sure that my closet door was moving and someone was going to pop out of it! I also had a metal kitchen play-set in my room (aluminum, maybe?) - the metal would "pop" and "moan" throughout the day. I thought it was haunted. I read way to many ghost story books as a kid....

5. Describe the first time you were left home alone. I was sick. Mom had to leave for work in the afternoon, and Dad couldn't come home early. So I was instructed to stay on the couch and watch TV til Dad got home. I was pretty excited - and a little scared. I remember watching TV and realizing something big just happened in the world - the news was breaking into programs... Then the phone rang. It was Dad - the space shuttle blew up. I was home watching the day the Challenger exploded.

6. Describe your first punishment for doing something bad. Ha ha ha - ok, Dad. Here's your story! I was pretty little - maybe four? I decided to push my boundaries that day... I went past where I was allowed to go on our street. I freaked Mom out. She came and found me - NOT happy! I think that was the first time I heard, "You just wait til your father gets home!" So I spent the rest of the day in my room, pondering what Dad would do when he got home - more upset that I had disappointed my parents, than thinking I would actually get in real trouble. Well... Dad came home. He heard what I did. He came in my room and explained that, "this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you." Then I got spanked. Crocodile tears fell. I rolled over and laid on my bed. Dad left. My ego was bruised - but my bottom was fine... A little while later, Dad came back to check on me. He sat on my bed and explained why I had needed a spanking... Then, out of guilt, he taught me to whistle! I'll never forget sitting on the edge of my bed, giggling and whistling with Dad - knowing he still loved me...

7. What was the most difficult thing to overcome from your childhood? Shyness. I was HORRIBLY shy. I was the kid in the back corner of the classroom that never said a word - and when a teacher forced me to speak, it was often so quiet, she still couldn't hear me. I was so afraid of saying the wrong thing, of appearing stupid, and of disappointing people. I don't think it was until I was on my own in college that I finally stepped out of my comfort zone enough to create my new self. That was really the first time that I realized that if I didn't speak up for myself - no one else would. Now, I regularly speak in front of large groups and enjoy meeting new people and leading groups... So, even the shyest kids can grow up just fine without forcing it! It just takes time... :)

8. What details do you remember of your childhood bedroom(s)? My bedroom in Illinois - red shag carpet. Ohio - really busy wallpaper with kids playing on it, mustard colored carpet and walls, my bunk bed (which my sister and I used to pretend was a motor home!), the haunted kitchen set, the deep closet that was easy to hide in! California - my first full-size bed, peach and sea green wallpaper and comforter, the green velvet chair, Kirk Cameron and Chad Allen pictures on the walls, a bookcase full of books! Minnesota - pale yellow walls, pale green shag carpet, pastel floral comforter, 2 big windows, and a papasan chair (bought with my first paycheck ever ($99 from the Eden Prairie Community Center)! When my parents found out they were pregnant with my sister, Kayla, I was fifteen - the first thing they promised me was that I would get to keep my room! :)

9. Are there foods, smells, flavors, sounds, songs, etc. that bring back memories of your childhood? Fish sticks, hot dogs, cocoa rice krispies, pudding cups, kiwi, egg-in-the-whole, the smell of fall leaves and the spring thaw, smell of cinnamon and cloves, smell of crayons, smell of play-dough, sound of cardinals singing, sound of church bells, sound of the school bus, Debbie Gibson and Tiffany songs...

10. What fads did you embrace while growing up? Oh dear... Jelly shoes, jelly bracelets, charm necklaces, clip hair bows, big red glasses, rolled and pinned jeans, layered colorful socks, poofy bangs, flourescent colored clothes, leggings, oversized sweatshirts, flannel shirts, and tie-dye shirts.

Things I am thankful for today:

1. A hard workout! (And my hubby's silliness... I went to grab the 8lb weights and they were gone! I thought he may have put them away somewhere - maybe he didn't like them being left out... I looked and looked and looked. Then it hit me. Monday, when we went for our hike, he was experimenting with how much weight he wanted in his backpack... He stole my weights! I had to settle for lots more reps with the 5 pounders. Goodness. Luckily, all the weights are back together again... for now... LOL)

2. Laundry is done.
3. A Friday night at home.
4. Beautiful snow falling.
5. Stacks of stuff to donate to Goodwill.
6. Bailey, the dog, watching cats on TV.
7. Ireland travel books.
8. Kelsey (one of my youth group kids) in Washington DC to advocate for better healthcare for those with psoriasis. Go, Kels!
9. My balance ball - provides great exercise, and great laughs when the dog and hubby are around!
10. A surprise foot rub! :)