1.       I don’t ever remember wanting children. I attribute it to a nightmare babysitting job I had at 12 that I quit after 3 months. I only babysat after that on occasion for family friends with 2 special needs children. Geoff and I now have 3 children with twins on the way. God has obviously worked on me through the years.

2.       Geoff and I were married Jan. 1997 after dating since Feb.1993 (with an 11 month break). At marriage counseling, he stated he wanted 5 children and I stated I wanted none. Our pastor at the time said, “oh well, you’re in love, it will work itself out.” Fortunately it did but it’s not necessarily advice I would recommend.

3.       Since having our first child Anne, we are both under the conviction that we shouldn’t limit the number of children we have. We believe this to be a very personal decision and would never insist on it being right for everyone.

4.       Despite my build, I have a very small pelvis which we found out when I had Anne. I went into labor around 10:00pm on a Sat. night and by 2:00am couldn’t sleep through them anymore. Geoff and I (despite all the stuff about resting) got up, cleaned the house, finished packing our bags and were off to the hospital at 7:00am with my contractions less than 5 min. apart. I was contracting heavily but not dilating so I got to sit in the Jacuzzi bath for a while and that helped. It took until about 1:30am Monday to dilate fully. At that point I pushed and pushed (and swore and swore) until about 4:00am when the doctor finally decided she wasn’t going to fit and ordered a c section. Because it wasn’t considered an emergency, by the time everyone arrived and they prepped me for surgery, all I could do was continue to push (and swear) for another hour and a half. She finally arrived at 6:03am with the biggest cone head anyone had seen. My dad in fact thought for sure she would have brain damage. The pediatrician said there was no way she would have fit no matter what we did so it was good that they did the c-section. Thanks to modern advances in medicine, Anne and I are both alive today and Anne’s beautiful and bright to boot. Of course outside of God’s sovereignty I know no amount of medical attention would have done any good.

5.       I’ve been married 12 years and still believe I married the most wonderful man on the planet. As a bonus, the best sister-in-law on the planet became part of the package.

6.       I worked from the time I was 12 until 3 weeks before I had Anne. Sometimes 2 or 3 jobs.

7.       I never finished college. I used to be ashamed of that but I no longer am. I did an internship in NH and then got married. I don’t regret any of it. I have a truly blessed life.

8.       Despite not having a degree, I was hired as the Editorial and Photo Assistant at Sailing World magazine. I was promoted to Executive Sales Assistant for Sailing and Cruising World magazines. I knew nothing about sailing when I started but could probably share more than you would care to know now. I loved it! I met so many incredible people from all over—some great sailors who compete in big races such as the America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and the Whitbread Round the World. I met amazing world famous photographers and authors. The best perks were that I was able to sail on some amazing boats—one was a 120ft. catamaran. I selected marketing merchandise and did a lot of event planning. I even photographed a rendezvous and regatta for Alden Yachts. It was awesome. When I left, we were in our 2^nd year of putting together the Sailing World Dr. Crash calendar which was my baby and it’s still on the market today. Best of all, I had a great relationship with everyone in the office. That’s a rare experience for anyone these days. Perhaps it was all the inhaled salt water that made it such a relaxing, fun place to work.

9.       I love forensic science and not because of recent tv shows. In fact I was in the middle of a criminology course when CSI first started. I would much rather watch FBI/forensic files than watch CSI.

10.   One of my favorite singers of all time is Billy Joel but I haven’t listened to him in years because I was convicted about many of his lyrics. I also really like reading crime novels, but alas, I no longer read them either.

11.   I study everything I can on nutrition. I try to eat healthy and I’m kind of a junk food nazi when it comes to the kids. I don’t ban it altogether but I’m very careful.  Something that’s completely off limits however, are artificial sweeteners.

12.   I have a 700sf garden that I have no idea how I’ll manage at 6-9mths pregnant with twins.

13.   I grind my own wheat for bread, muffins, pancakes, waffles, etc.

14.   My coffee grinder gets used exclusively for grinding flax seeds now that I can’t stand the smell of coffee. (Can you believe it? I love coffee! I hope the aversion goes away soon!)

15.   My all time favorite comfort food is Macaroni and Cheese. I hardly ever get to indulge do to most of my family hating it.

16.   I have friends all over the world that I cannot wait to be reunited with in Heaven.

17.   I’m not a patient person but I’m working on it.

18.   I’m OCD in many ways but I’m working on that too.

19.   I have strong convictions.

20.   I’m sometimes over-analytical and always highly opinionated. I tend to say what I’m thinking when I’m thinking it which isn’t always appreciated (or warranted, I might add).

21.   I become more aware of my wicked heart every day. I am thankful for family and friends who love me anyway and a God who forgives and forgets.

22.   I have many hobbies and interests and I like to try new things. However, I tend to be a perfectionist which usually doesn’t cripple me except in one area. I love to write. I’ve actually written several things—mostly magazine articles—but have submitted exactly none of them. I’m so afraid of being rejected or worse, being told I’m a terrible writer. So, in a folder on my hard drive they will stay…

23.   I don’t show it often but I have a very feminine side. I like dressing up and throwing tea parties. Yikes! Did I just admit that in writing? I haven’t done it in a very long time but local friends, beware, the day will come. Anne of Green Gables/Avonlea is my all time favorite film and I love Jane Austen novels and A&E’s interpretations of them through film.

24.   I tend to be a very “black and white” person. Especially when it comes to biblical and political issues. I am a walking contradiction as I can be very decisive about the above and yet completely indecisive about more subjective matters. For instance I have trouble choosing a favorite season or even color.

25.   Apparently I enjoy writing about myself.