My birthday tradition. My list.

I’ve done this little tradition of mine for as long as I can remember … a list all about me.   Although, it was easier when I was younger and before I had kiddos of my own.   Most of my thoughts are all-kid-consuming, so it’s hard to break out and just think about interesting things about me.   This year there will be 41 candles on my cake which means my list is now 41 things about me.   41.  I might have to divide by 2 or something.  Are there really 41 interesting things about me?   Hmmmm.   I have my doubts.

But here goes nothin’.

1.   Damn.  I’m only on number one and already stuck.  Perhaps I need some wine.

2.  Speaking of wine — I love a good cabernet or pinot.  And that doesn’t make me a snob — good wine for you might be a fifty dollar bottle — I’m a-okay with a twenty dollar bottle so long as it tastes yummy and doesn’t give me a headache.  I also like bourbon.

3.  I rarely take medications when I don’t feel well.  I try to outwit a cold and a headache.   Didn’t work so well with the flu, but I gave it a good college try.

4.  Mind-over-matter.  Try it sometime.  Believe you can do something and I swear, you can do it.

5.  I used to be a distance runner — albeit slow, I could run 20 miles like it was three miles.  (See number 4).   My favorite running partner?  My sister.

6.  I have tiny little feet — size five and a half.  Which would be awesome if I really cared about shoes because the small sizes are almost always on clearance.  But…

7.  I don’t really care about shoes.  I love my hiking boots and tennis shoes and converse.  I wear heals when appropriate but they aren’t my favorite.

8.  I own eight cameras.  My Mark III is my favorite.

9.  I believe photography can capture true emotion.  It’s one of the things I absolutely love about my job — not the posed or fake smiles — but the candid laughter and sweet love captured on camera.  I would have written film, but I haven’t shot film since film stopped being cool.  Although, in the professional community it’s making a comeback.  But, clearly, I don’t need another camera.  See number 8.

10.  I’m an expert snow skier.

11.  My favorite person to ski with is my brother — and I love when we race top to bottom as fast as we can.   I have an app on my phone that tracks our speed, distance and vertical drop.  True story.  Our fastest time clocked last year was 48 miles per hour for 7.8 miles.

12.  I miss skiing with my dad like you wouldn’t believe.

13.  Writing number 12 put tears in my eyes.

14.  Emotional — that’s me in a nutshell. (see number 13).   I don’t do anything without emotion.   And I mean anything.  I could be making a batch of cookies and I’ll think of a time I was making cookies with my mom, or how my brother and I used to eat all the raw batter … memory lane, I love it.  Most of the time.

15.  People see me as strong but when they get to really know me, they see my heart is quite sensitive.  Too sensitive most of the time.

16.   I value honesty in all things.

17.   Need someone to shop with?  I’m your gal.  If you put something on that looks like crap — I’m gonna tell you the truth without much sugar coating.  See number 16.

18.   My favorite dessert — hmmm.  anything with chocolate, I suppose.   Mousse with real whipped cream.  That might be the winner.

19.  OMG.  I’m only at 19.  Although, I’m so glad I’m not a teenager anymore.  I wish I could find my list of what I wrote about me when I was 19.  That might be an interesting read.  I wish I hadn’t have spent so many of my teenage years thinking I was wiser than I truly was.  Being humble.  It’s a trait I love in a person.

20.  I wish I had the knowledge I have now when I was 19.   I wonder where life would be different.  I wonder if I’ll feel the same way in 20 more years.  Do we get wiser each year?  Or at some point do we reach our knowledge capacity and accept life for what it is?

21.  I ponder odd things all the time.  See number 20.

22.  I didn’t get drunk on my 21st birthday.  In fact, I’ve never been much of a drinker.  I just like a glass or two of wine and that’s it.  I see no need to drink to the point of being stupid or saying something you might regret or puking.  Something about it has always been overrated.  Most of my friends accept that about me but there are a few who just really want to know what I’m like when I’m drunk.  Try me — I’ll just fall asleep on your couch.

23.  I believe that women should simply feel beautiful … whether they are looking in the mirror or reflecting on life and not because a man or woman has told them so.   Insecurities in women drive me batty.   There isn’t a perfect size or weight or body type.  Beauty — it’s in your soul.  Make your soul beautiful and the rest will follow.

24.  I’m trying to raise a little girl who sees value in herself but I find it to be the most challenging aspect of my job as a mother.

25.  I’m terrified for when my sweet daughter is a tween or teen or whatever age it is that she decides she hates me.   It ranks up there with my fear of scorpions.  And if you know how serious I am about that, then you’ll know how truly terrified I am for those teenage years.

26.  I love getting pedicures but hate getting manicures.

27.  Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year.  Christmas music has been playing nonstop on Pandora since before Thanksgiving.   I love driving around and looking at lights and having hot cocoa and watching Christmas movies and just staring at our Christmas tree.  All of our ornaments tell a story.  All 500 of them.  Think I’m exaggerating?  Come over for a family favorite — hot buttered rum, and I’ll tell you the story behind a few.

28.  Pandora.  I discovered in 2013 … about ten years after everyone else.

29.  If I could be anywhere, I’d be in a cabin in the mountains with a real wood fire and a blanket wrapped around me with a good glass of wine.   I prefer the mountains over the beach.

30.  I despise sand.  Maybe it’s a tactile thing but I only go to the beach because the kids love it — otherwise, I’d just stay at the pool.  Sand — it gets everywhere and stays there for days and days.

31.  Sushi is my favorite date night.  And by date night, I mean, I’d rather eat with the blue hairs and be in bed by nine.  I just don’t like eating dinner late and going to bed late because I’m a girl who needs her sleep.  8 hours is preferred.  9 is better.

32.  I have a really loud laugh.  Like, really loud.  And I’m not sure it’s a contagious-cute-loud — it’s just obnoxiously loud.  Sometimes I try to hold it in as to not call attention to myself.

33.  Being the center of attention isn’t my favorite thing.  I halfway think I’m an introvert most of the time.  I love being in a group and having a good time but I value my quiet silent time where I can read a book and recharge.   My brother and sister are laughing at this one.  No way do they believe I’m an introvert.

34.  I trust without question — but if that trust is broken, it may never come back.  It seems I hold a grudge longer than I should and I have a memory that just won’t quit.  Well, about serious things.  I can’t remember where I leave my keys half the time, but if you made me cry, I will darn well remember what I was wearing, where we were, what was said and how I felt.

35.  When I’m wrong, I say I’m wrong.  If I hurt someone, I try to fix it as fast as humanly possible because the thought of having someone upset or mad or frustrated at me makes my heart very sad.   See number 14.

36.  I prefer black and white images to color and yet there aren’t that many black and white images in my home.

37.  I love playing board games and card games with my family.   I always go for the longest road in Catan.  There.  Now you know how to beat me should we ever play.  Wonder what Catan is?  A board game of strategy.  Very fun.  Especially with my family.   It seems we are all competitive — and yet, we manage to play together very well and when a game is done, we *always* try to figure out how we could have won if things were different.  It’s one of the things I love about playing games with them … “If only I had done this, I would have beat you.”   That way, we all think we are winners.  Am I right?

38.  I got a do-over in life in 2014 and got lucky enough to meet the love of my life earlier this year.

39.  I’m at athlete and my PR is: back squat 300 pounds, deadlift 305 pounds and front squat 165 pounds.    I stopped lifting heavy in the fall because, well, I’m old now and I got injured trying to act young.    But don’t worry … I rarely talk about the gym, my personal records or the fact that I lift weights … and I certainly don’t care if any of my friends lift weights.

40.  When I turned 40 I made life changes that impacted every aspect of my life — I shifted my focus to what really matters in life — and surrounded myself with people who love and care for themselves and others.  There’s something about turning 40 that just changes a person.

41.  I’m living the dream … I bought land with my love and built a house from the ground up.  I don’t take myself too seriously any more … we get this ONE life.  Live it!

 

8 comments
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  • Susan Lowther McInnisDecember 6, 2013 - 1:56 pm

    I learned a few new things about you, but have gotten to know you pretty well in the past year. Glad we were brought together as kinder moms and learned the ropes together. I never thought I would meet one of my best friends in my 30’s and as a mom, but I did. Thanks for being you and loving me for who I am. ReplyCancel

  • Kerri FosterDecember 6, 2013 - 2:05 pm

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE this!! You’ve inspired me ONCE again to do something like this for myself. After all, 40 is a good year to start this list don’t you think? My fav’s of your list this year were 15 and 16. You have been a good solid, honest friend and I value that about you deeply. And I figured out pretty quickly how sensitive you are b/c well…..I’m a sensitive one too. 😉 LOVE YOU sweet friend and HAPPY HAPPY 38th birthday!!! xoxoxReplyCancel

  • Lisa RainoneDecember 6, 2013 - 3:13 pm

    Wow… That’s a really long list , just kidding. A couple things you missed that might help with next year…. 1. You’ve had quite a few really cool jobs, 2. You didn’t drink wine for 60 days, WHAT?! And your always up for a long talk about nothing ReplyCancel

  • Katie Schmid EatonDecember 6, 2013 - 4:20 pm

    Loving all your comments!! Thank you for the sweet birthday wishes!! ReplyCancel

  • Stacy PhillipsDecember 6, 2013 - 4:30 pm

    Love this and love that I knew about most of them!! Its been too long! xoReplyCancel

  • Skye WensingDecember 7, 2013 - 10:44 pm

    Happy belated birthday, Katie!ReplyCancel

  • Eddie ColeSeptember 7, 2014 - 9:24 pm

    What a great idea! Inspired me to pause and reflect on my considerably more than 38 years! If I made a list like this I’d need a tablet! Like you, I prefer the mountains to the beach, love Christmas, & tend to be a little emotional sometimes ( I still “tear up” during the National Anthem & the LSU Alma Mater) Making a list of things about me, one for each year I’ve been on the planet, by my next birthday, gives me 9 months to come up with 63 more “things about me” I’d better get to work!ReplyCancel

  • Turning 40.January 6, 2016 - 6:01 pm

    […] when I turned 38, I made a list of random facts about me … and as I read them today, not much has […]ReplyCancel

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