**UPDATED ON 12/09/08  (New items in BOLD) **

The ‘101 things’ meme is running ramped in the blog world.   Anyway, I figured that I’m a good blog ‘follower’, and I like talking about myself (oh come on.. why would I have a blog if I didn’t like talking about myself!?!), so here we go. 

*WARNING*

Reading all 101 things about “crazy, absurd, needs-to-see-a-shrink-soon, is-a-text-book-case-for-entry-level-psychologists’ me at one time could induce spaztastic behavior and/or epileptic fits.   Proceed with caution.

1.  I am my father’s baby, I am my mother’s only: My two older sisters are, by legal terms only, my 1/2 sisters. Their mother passed away when they were little and they were raised from 1973-present by my mother. I am the only child my mother had, and I am the last child my father had. When we moved to Tennessee, my sisters were old enough to know better (being 4 years old at the time, I didn’t have a vote in the matter), and I ended up growing up as an only child. I display tendencies/habits/mannerisms of an only child and the youngest child.

2. I, an only/baby, married a middle child. YEAH… that was a GRRRREEEAAAAAT idea. (insert sarcasm here).

3. I have a daily ‘getting ready’ routine. If I deviate, even so slightly, from that routine, it typically equals on average, a 10-15 minute delay and/or the skipping of an important step (don’t believe me? I deviated once in high school and forgot to put on my bra!! I had to call my mother to bring it to me in 2nd period. ) Seriously… I try not to deviate if possible.

4. I have on all levels, a bonafide, full fledged, “In-need-of-a-12-step-program”, unfathomably stressing, addiction to sugar. I LOVE THE STUFF. It doesn’t matter how much, what kind, or when (there is no such time as too early for Nerds).

5. Nerds are my favorite candy. It’s very rare that you don’t see at least one “theater sized” box in our house. See #4.

6. I hate flying. It’s not really the flying part I hate. It’s the take-off. There is a point where you feel like plane dip back down to earth right after you take off, and it’s at that point when I remember that we have gravity for a reason and defying it is just asking for trouble. I’m generally OK once we level out and eventually land, but take-off…. UGH! This fear isn’t helped by the fact that…

7. I’m a mildly paranoid person. I believe in fate and that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore, often I find myself thinking that at any moment I’m two seconds away from setting in motion my untimely death (think Stranger Than Fiction or The Butterfly Effect). I attribute part of this to my mother and her overtly-cautions, often paranoid self, and too much Unsolved Mysteries as a child. It hasn’t progressed to an anxiety issue.. yet.

8. Due to #7, I don’t sleep well when I’m home alone. I have no idea how I successfully ended up living by myself for 2 years, and not turning into a crazy, paranoid, super-jumpy lady, but I somehow managed. There was alotof sleeping with the TV on, andwaking up at every little noise. I still sleep with a baseball bat by the bed.

9. I can’t/don’t watch overtly suspenseful or scary movies. These movies contribute to #7 and fuel #8. I went willingly to see The Ring with some friends and didn’t sleep for 3 weeks. I watched 80% of Signs through my hands/fingers.

10. I snore.

11. I have a financially serious addiction to cosmetics. I could spends DAYS (not hours… DAYS) in Sephora.

12.  I like things in even numbers.   Especially things like cookies, scoops of ice cream and the thermostat setting (in the car and in the house).

13. I still don’t know what I want to do when I grown up.

14.  “Calvin and Hobbes” is my favorite comic.   “Pearls before Swine” runs a close second.   

15. When it comes to movies based on books, I prefer the book every time. I refused to see any more Harry Potter movies after #5. They are doing a disservice to the series and it irritates me. Unfortunately, the Engineer is the complete opposite.

16. I never balance my checkbook.

17. My life is a constant soundtrack. I love music so much and I typically seek out the perfect tunes to get to into/out of various moods. I have a soundtrack for everything (house cleaning/dancing, work motivation, working out, pre-wedding events, the wedding day, honeymoon, etc), andI find alot of peace, comfort, ambition, andpurpose in music lyrics. The perfect song can turn my day around.

18. I name my Ipods.  My first ever 4G Ipod was named Einstein, because he was the smartest, funniest, most adorable thing I had ever had the pleasure of owning. When Einstein kicked the bucked in April ‘08 (at the ripe old age of 3 years), his replacement, Newton, entered my life.  

19. I will do almost anything for a bag of cotton candy. (See #4) I don’t know why, but I love the stuff.

20. Pink is my favorite signature color. After an incident that resulted in the boyfriend (now husband) helping me apply three coats of primer and three coats of beige paint to cover a bight pink room in my first apartment, I was forbidden from painting anything in our house pink.

21. I’m a horrible speller. Thank God for spell check.

22. I wish that I could find a career that balances my science degree with my MBA.

23. I can’t cook without a recipe. I never got the concept of ‘throw together’ cooking. I blame part of this on the whole ’science’ background and part of the fact that I’m just not that creative.

24. I love to bake. It’s very scientific and precise. And delicious.

25. I drive too fast and inevitably get caught; however, it’s been 2.5 years since my last speeding ticket.

26. My favorite part of going to the movies is the previews. I refuse to see a movie if I’m going to miss the previews.

27. I HATE being late. My mother is late alot (her personalized state license plate on her car says “IM LA8″), and as a child, I was late to a several things. I try to avoid it now that I’m ‘growing up’, but I’m finding that I’m more like my mother than I care to admit.

28. I hate being cold, and I’m typically always cold. I run a heater in my office pretty much year round and when I get home, I’m usually under a blanket in my chair or on the couch.

29. I’m allergic to bees

30. At one time, I was fairly proficient at playing the Alto Saxophone.

31. I hate to wear socks.

32. Of all my sugar addictions, my weakness is Ice Cream. I would give up everything else if it meant ice cream every day. Life without ice cream would be.. well.. death for me.

33. I love thunderstorms.

34. I’m a sorter.  I sort mail, my music , the way my clothes are hung in my closet.  My sorting OCD?  Skittles/M&Ms.  When they come out of the bag.. I automatically sort them by color.

35. My absolute favorite beverage is a Blue Coconut Slush from Sonic.

36. I believe my husband is my soul mate.

37. I was raised in an unbelievably small town in West Tennessee (15K people in the whole county).

38. I hated growing up in a small town until I moved to a bigger town. I know now that I was blessed to grow up where I did, when I did, and with the love and support of my family and friends. Andman.. I got away with alot in my small town.

39. I love to travel. I daydream about traveling. I long to be wealthy enough one day to do nothing but travel. It’s the thought of our next trip (no matter how big or small) that gets me through the weekdays.

40. Chick-fil-a is my favorite fast food restaurant.

41. My husband got me addicted to diet sodas.

42. My mother and I had a tough time during my ‘high school’ years, but now she’s one of my best friends.

43. During the duration of my K-12 grade education, I was involved in no less than 30 different extracurricular activities/groups.

44. I graduated #7 (of 109) in my high school class.

45. College football (SEC) is my FAVORITE sport. (GO VOLS!)

46. I want to name my children after cities in the Southwest. The Engineer says “ABSOLUTELY NOT!”.

47. I’ll choose tea over coffee every time.

48. I always carry floss with me wherever I go.

49. I toenails are always painted and I only paint the ‘piggies’ in shades of pink or red.

50. Pomegranates are my favorite fruit, but I don’t really like pomegranate flavored stuff.

51. I’m a cradle Catholic (meaning, I’ve been a Catholic since before I popped out of the womb).

52. I don’t practice my religion as regularly as I should.

53. I’ve had 6 dental crowns installed in the last 10 years.

54. I was born on Groundhogs Day, therefore making me an Aquarius.

55. I swear… ALOT! No really.. I have a potty mouth. I have the vocabulary of the offspring between a trucker and a sailor. I’m F*&#INGserious. I do try to keep the swearing to the evening hours though (that kind of language isn’t really ‘business’ appropriate), and I’m working on reducing my swearing, as ‘it’s not very educated or lady like’.

56. My first job out of college, was for a company that repossessed mobile homes. Oddly enough, #55 was appropriate there.

57. I got sent home from preschool one day for biting a kid. In my defense.. he pushed me down the fireman’s pole.

58. My paternal ancestry in the United States dates back to the days of the pilgrims.

59. I always carry a big purse and lose things in the bottom of the bag (keys, phone, receipts) on a daily basis.  Drives the husband CRAZY!

60. I could eat at Cracker Barrel everyday and still not get tired of the place. However, Cracker Barrel is not my favorite restaurant.

61.  I stole our family motto from my older sister (and her family), The Dirt Diva.   “Always an Adventure”.    And married life is… always.an.adventure. 

62. I don’t know how to proficiently drive a straight shift (stick shift, 5 speed, manual) transmission.

63. The Engineer and I were engaged on May 26, 2006 at the Omni Hotel in Downtown Austin, TX, on our 3 year anniversary.

64. I am a member of the Sigma Kappa sorority

65. Of my last 4 jobs, 3 of them have been for Fortune 500 companies.

66. My favorite number is 22 (two 2’s). It’s been an odd, repeating number in my life from my phone and house number growing up to the additions of  the numbers in my social security and drivers license number.    On 02/02/2002 I turned 22!!  I know.. you can’t make this stuff up!!   I nicknamed the year from 02/02/2002 – 02/01/2003 the “Year of Stephanie”.  It was a GREAT year.

67. I tan easily.

68. I unsuccessfully took 6 ice skating lessons when I was 25.

69. Upon completion of #68, I successfully attended 12 weeks of physical therapy for an ice skating injury.

70. I’ve been swimming since I was 6 months old.

71. My mother had my ears pierced for the first time when I was 4 months old.

72. I’ve never understood why people are so fascinated with the Dave Matthews Band.  I just don’t ‘get’ them.

73. I store all of my shoes in plastic boxes affixed with a label describing the shoe inside.

74. I’ve been to 44 of the 50 States.

75. The only major surgery I’ve ever had happened when I was 23. I had my tonsils removed, and I wouldn’t wish such pain on anyone… ever!

76. My watch, my engagement ring, and my wedding band are the only pieces of jewelry I wear daily.

77. As a result of being in Girl Scouts for 12 years, my favorite summer activities are canoeing and roasting marshmallows on a camp fire.

78. I still remember the lyrics to at least 20 Girl Scout songs (what a waste of valuable brain space).

79. When I was 17, I had a very large mole removed from beside my nose.

80. There is no such thing as too much “Sex and the City”.

81. I have two underwear rules: 1. Undies that develop holes go in the trash immediately & 2. For every pair of undies you throw out, you may replace them with two new pair.  I think this is a little OCD but hey…. I have a fantastic collection of undies.

82. Besides my husband, the only roommate I’ve ever had was during my freshman year of college. The 1st semester was rough but we got along much better during the 2nd semester.  We currently no longer speak.  =)

83. I’m a snooze-bar repeat offender. If I don’t hit the snooze bar at least 5 times, it’s not been a successful morning.

84. I love board games. It doesn’t matter which ones, I love them all. Unfortunately, the Engineer doesn’t share my love for the board games so I don’t get to play board games very much.

85. When I was 5, I was crowned “Little Miss Queen of Can Country” for the Fiddler’s Jamboree in my home town.

86. I love Japanese food. I don’t care for Italian (I’ll eat it, but I don’t love it).

87. In the 5th grade, I played Imogen Herdman in the play The Best Christmas Pageant Ever for the county playhouse.

88. I believe that first impressions lay the most important groundwork for future interactions/relationships

89. #88 makes me very quick to judge people. Thankfully, second impressions are just as important to me.

90. I have an unusual affinity for Slurpees from 7-11 (which sucks because Knoxville has no 7-11s).

91. If I could live the rest of my life in Jeans and t-shirts, I would be a happy girl.

92. I’m a confrontational person, but I don’t handle confrontation well.

93. I am list maker. I compulsively write “To-Do” lists, grocery lists, etc. The only problem is that I typically forget them someplace or they end up at the bottom of my purse and then I forget to do 1/2 of the stuff that’s on the list.

94. I was watching TV in my dorm room, Room 405 – Greve Hall, skipping a microbiology class, when the attacks on 9/11 occurred.

95.  Areosmith is my all time favorite band.

96. I love to camp (tents and all),

97.  I hate hiking (I find it so boring).  This makes #96 interesting

98. I have many acquaintances, but very few close friends.

99. I am right handed.

100. My oldest sister, Shagomatic, has called me her little “Ape” for as long as I can remember. I don’t know how, when, or why this started. It’s quite funny actually. However, she is the ONLY person I tolerate calling me “ape”, so watch your back if you ever attempt it.

101.  I don’t like beer.   It really is just too bitter for me.  I’ve found several ciders that I enjoy, and wines, and oh my.. do I like liquor, but regular, traditional beers… Blech!