Read 'em and weep (or don't--your choice)

My dear friend/former roommate Aimee tagged me to share seven random things about myself. I decided this blog should be about more than just Reid--after all, I existed long before he did. So here you go, for what it's worth!

1. I'm a walking paradox. I love a clean house, organized closets, sparkling car, and immaculate purse. Unfortunately, I am inherently a very messy person. I have a very hard time disciplining myself to keep things picked up and organized every moment of the day. Instead, I allow things to get out of control quickly, get completely stressed out about it, and then go on a cleaning rampage. Seriously, walking into my messy house physically affects me--the muscles in my neck tighten, I clench my jaw and the beginnings of a stress headache are born. Why, oh why, can't I make things easier on myself and just stay on top of things?!

2. I'm an amateur gardener. My dad definitely has a green thumb, and we always had one of the best yards in the neighborhood growing up--no pressure! When we moved into our house 2.5 years ago, our backyard had a Japanese zen garden theme going on, bamboo wind chimes, stone pagodas and all. I am s0 not a zen person, and I have spent each spring/summer/fall since creating my own little oasis. And one of these days, if you're very lucky, I'll give you a break from pictures of my adorable son and fur babies and post pictures of my plants. I know, I know, the excitement is almost more than you can take.

3. When I was 11 years old, I visited a pot farm. Actually, it was my grandparents house. Easy to get the two confused, isn't it? To make a long story short, some fine Arkansans from somewhere downriver got the great idea to use the river access to some of my grandparents' property to plant their own personal stash. I was visiting that summer and helping my grandfather look for trees blown down in a storm the night before when we stumbled across the operation in a secluded, wooded area (luckily no pot farmers were there at the time). The authorities were called and removed said illegal substance which was allegedly worth hundreds of thousands of dollars--street value of course ;) They never caught those fine farmers, but later that week several bails of hay on my grandparents property were torched. Only in Arkansas!

4. I'm a hippie. Okay, not really, but relatively speaking, among my conservative, Christian Republican (CCR, if you will) friends, I totally am. I don't know where this streak came from, but ever since taking a class in college called "The Cultural Meaning of Childbirth in American Society" I desperately wanted a home birth with a doula and a midwife. Certain medical issues made this scenario impossible, but that didn't stop me from bringing my doula to the hospital for my c-section. I also tend to question authority at times, I used some alternative medical services in our quest to become pregnant, and we're selectively vaccinating. In fairness to my parents, I'd like to point out that I was most definitely NOT raised this way.

5. I have a weird job. I got into the field of speech pathology because I wanted to work with kiddos. Sometime during grad school I became keenly interested in the medical side of the profession. Specifically, I grew to love voice restoration following cancer. Now I spend my workdays digging around in the necks of people who have had part, or all, of their voice box removed because of cancer. I help them talk and/or eat and swallow again. It's very rewarding except when it isn't-- there are times when the outcomes are less than favorable or when patients pass away. Most of the time, though, I feel I make an immediate difference in the lives during a really scary and difficult time. (And yes, I am going back to work, two days a week starting June 15).

6. I have issues. Sensory issues, that is! I hate wearing pants (but I do for the sake of humanity.) The thought of wearing layers makes my heart rate rise. For example, I have NO idea how people wear button down shirts under sweaters. I cannot wear wool--the thought makes me itch. I do not like loud noises, and when Brian has the TV or music too loud it makes me physically uncomfortable--not my ears--I just feel stressed by it. I love swinging, rocking, fidgeting and deep pressure touch. Yes, I realize this makes me sound like I could be on the autism spectrum. I'm pretty sure I'm not.

7. I should have been a travel agent. I absolutely LOVE to travel. The weird thing is, I think planning trips is half the fun! I enjoy the excitement of researching a new place and the challenge of planning travel on a budget. I also have loads of fun figuring out all the logistics of our travels (connecting flights, rental car pick up, train schedules in foreign countries, hotel check-in times, museum hours, etc...). It's like a jigsaw puzzle (which I also love...if there was a #8 I would tell you all about that!). I feel like actually going on a trip is the icing on the cake. It is usually the culmination of many months of research and planning, and I have so much fun watching everything fall into place. So, if #5 falls through, I always have a back-up career option.


Now, I'm supposed to tag 7 friends to participate in this exercise on their blogs. I'm not sure I have seven close friends who blog. Hmm...

1. My favorite sister, Sarah: just try and surprise me with new information about you!
2. Cara: Elvis knows all (don't ask), but share 7 things for the rest of the crowd.
3. Amy, we're so much alike, why don't you just copy and paste my list into your blog? (Okay, I actually don't think any of my 7 apply to you...)
4. The newest addition to my blogging family: Jennifer!
5. Brooke and I are practically living the same life right now with little boys who are less than 2 weeks apart!
6. Lindsay has the newest newborn in our small group, and I am constantly surprised by what I learn about you.
7. I don't get to see Dawn nearly enough, but I am always so encouraged by what I read on your blog since you've almost survived your first year of motherhood.