Happy Birthday to Me!

In honor of my birthday - and because I felt like it - here is a list of 100 things about me:

1. If I could, I would sleep until 9am every day.
2. My favorite ice cream is Mint Chocolate Chip.
3. Growing up, I had straight hair. After I had kids, it went wavy. Now it's just difficult.
4. Exercise is like a free therapy session.
5. Fall is my favorite season.
6. I have never broken a bone.
7. I didn't know how to freestyle swim until my husband taught me.
8. I am scuba-certified.
9. I secretly yearn to be the best hostess on the block.
10. I miss my kids when they're not with me - even if we're apart for just a few hours.
11. Birds freak me out.
12. I can't run any more because I have bone fragments floating in my ankle.
13. I have never watched Survivor, Lost, or Alias. Am I missing out?
14. I cry when watching Biggest Loser. Not every episode, but a lot of them.
15. I am terrible at craft projects because I hate to measure & generally just wing it. Incredibly, it usually turns out OK.
16. I am quite lazy, but have a strong sense of guilt that overrides the laziness.
17. I make all the bread we eat.
18. I love People magazine, but am not allowed to have a subscription. That's probably for the best.
19. Diamonds go with everything.
20. I am terrible at keeping plants alive.
21. Forget bananas - Carne Asada might be the perfect food.
22. I like my tacos on flour tortillas, not corn.
23. I have it on good authority that Martha Stewart might be related to Satan. Don't quote me on that.
24. I love a house with hydrangeas in the yard.
25. I am glad we no longer have cable, as I might never leave the house due to the imminent viewing of a RHONY/ Jerseylicious/ Hoarders/ Toddlers-n-Tiaras/ Basketball Wives marathon.
26. I prefer grapefruit or citrus scented cleaning products.
27. I have flat feet.
28. I have only been to the hospital 4 times in my life (for myself).
29. If I could, I would own vacation homes in Colorado and Hawaii.
30. I travelled through Europe for 2 weeks by myself.
31. My favorite American city is New York.
32. My favorite European city is Paris.
33. I have one half-sister who is 9 years younger than I am.
34. Growing up I had a puppy named Pepper.
35. I would love to learn to play tennis.
36. I like pink.
37. As a child we had a tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas Eve.
38. I believe I still have not “peaked”.
39. I have a Master’s Degree in a field that I have never worked in.
40. I have lived in 4 different states since being married.
41. My first car was a VW Rabbit.
42. I look at houses online “for fun”.
43. I think I’d be really good at flipping houses for profit.
44. I went to college in Arizona.
45. I've been on a cruise, and don’t need to repeat the experience.
46. I like to always have painted toenails.
47. I think that society has taken casual Friday too far.
48. I am blood type O-Negative. Universal donor!
49. I watched all of Ronald Reagan’s funeral on TV.
50. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art.
51. I love hot chocolate.
52. I cannot stand yellow mustard.
53. Hamburgers must be ordered without pickles.
54. Cupcakes are one of my top 5 favorite foods.
55. I helped bail someone out of jail.
56. I think 78 degrees is the perfect temperature.
57. I don’t have a favorite book or movie.
58. I read so quickly that I seldom ever buy books – it just seems wasteful.
59. I love to fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing on a beach.
60. I have worked since I was 15.
61. I have not had a traffic ticket in 10 years.
62. As a child in Southern California, I distinctly remember The Night Stalker. I slept with my windows closed & locked – in the middle of summer – for months.
63. I have been inside Elizabeth Taylor’s home (yes, THE Elizabeth Taylor).
64. I love jewelry but wear very little of it.
65. I have 7 ear piercings but only wear earrings in 2 of them.
66. My dream car is a Range Rover, but I will probably never drive one because I think they are ridiculously expensive.
67. I have blue eyes.
68. I cannot sleep in my contact lenses.
69. I hate loud noises, and I am especially sensitive to alarms and the sound of static.
70. I think you can’t get good sushi outside of the West Coast.
71. I have owned one house.
72. My favorite fall/winter uniform is jeans, a black sweater, & Uggs.
73. I would like to take a cooking class from a professional school.
74. I think high-fives are ridiculous when delivered by anyone over the age of 5.
75. My first trip to Canada was last year.
76. The furthest I have been into Mexico is Tijuana.
77. I was born in California, went to high school in Colorado, college in Arizona, and graduate school in Louisiana. I don’t consider any of them “home”.
78. I never balance our checkbook.
79. I will eat fish, but don’t really enjoy it.
80. I prefer to read historical fiction or mystery novels.
81. My perfect house would have a large kitchen with plenty of counter space, and a reading nook with a fireplace & an armchair to curl up in.
82. I have never mowed a lawn.
83. When we remodeled the bathroom in our house, I did all the tile work.
84. I was chosen “Outstanding Senior Printmaker” when I graduated from college.
85. When I met my husband I knew he was “The One”. It only took a year for me to convince him.
86. I consider blogstalking a semi-hobby.
87. As a child, every Saturday night was Taco Night. I couldn’t enjoy tacos for a good 10 years after I moved out.
88. I am easily influenced by marketing, but slow to act.
89. I am terrible at home decorating.
90. Unless I am camping, I detest eating off paper plates and using plastic utensils.
91. I am usually very quiet in a group, but it's because I am nervous around large crowds, not because I don't like you.
92. My dream vacation would be to go to New Zealand for 2 weeks.
93. I love foods with lemon: lemon meringue pie, lemon pound cake, lemon pudding, lemon bars….
94. I have owned 1 new car in my life. It was totaled less than a year after I bought it (not my fault).
95. I like to paint my bedroom walls a soft grey color.
96. I sleep with heavy curtains on the windows to shut out ALL the light.
97. I enjoy DIY projects around the house.
98. I think Thank You notes are the glue of polite society.
99. I like very thin - almost crepe-like - pancakes.
100. My favorite candy is chocolate covered gummy bears.

Thanks to Jen for the inspiration in creating this list!