Twenty-five Things

For the past couple of months it seems everyone on Facebook has been posting their "25 Random Things...." list. I thought it would be something fun to do, but at the same time kind of personal. I'm just not sure that I want all 160 of my friends to know everything about me. A girl has to have some mystery, you know? I decided that it would be best to keep it to my blog where only a select few will read it. So, I dug deep and tried to come up with some "random" facts that you may or may not already know. Some of it is deeply personal, some of it fun. Enjoy!

1. I am finally at a point in my life where I really don't care if people like me or not. It took me a really long time to get here though. I also don't care whether people agree with me. Differing opinions keep conversation interesting. Please remember these points as you progress down this list ;)
2. I have no desire to participate in organized religion. Though I do feel that I am a spiritual person. I think most of what is written in the bible is hogwash and I tend to pick & choose what I believe to be God's word. The evangelical political movement is this country scares me. 
3. I cried when Barack Obama won the election. He might just be a politician who says what needs to be said to get elected but I am (still) buying what he is selling! I am a (mostly) liberal with socialist tendencies....sue me. For once, it felt really good to actually cast my vote for a candidate and not against another candidate. 
4. I have zero tolerance for intolerant people. I am especially passionate about the issues surrounding gay rights. I don't think it is ever OK to tell a racist joke.
5. I do not believe that we are destined to find one, true soulmate. I believe I have been fortunate enough to find many soulmates in the form of friends, family and my pets. That being said, I do believe that there is no man more perfectly suited to me than the one I am married to. Even though he makes me batshit crazy.
6. Thomas and I's first date was at a truck stop called Hunny's in Corona, CA. He made it up to me on our honeymoon in Italy!
7. My whole life I have wanted to live in 3 places; California, Colorado and Italy. Two down and one to go!
8. I believe that you are the architect of your destiny and there is no such thing as fate. Every day is a new opportunity to create your future. If you are unhappy then you have no one to blame but yourself.  Natasha Bedingfield's song "Unwritten" is my anthem!
9. Someday I would like to return to school and get my nursing degree.
10. I think Taco Bell should be one of the main food groups. Chilitos are God's gift to Andrea.
11. I once played Mahjong for 8 hours straight. This, of course,  was before babies.
12. My personal goal for the summer of 2010 is to hike to the 14,259 foot summit of Long's Peak, the highest peak in Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park. My second goal is to walk the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 day (60 miles!).
13. I love to travel. Sometimes I worry that I will die before I have the chance to visit every place I want to see. My dream trip (after Italy of course!) would be to spend 3 months in England visiting and studying all the sites associated with the Tudor period.
14. I want to spend my retirement years traveling the country in a luxury RV. I would spend my summers on a lake in northern MN, the fall & early winter in the Rocky Mountains, and the winter and springtime on the beach! 
15. Two events significantly changed the course of my life. The first was joining Team Gilboa racing. Without it I would have spent my high school years partying and getting into the wrong kinds of trouble. It gave me a sense of identity during my pre and teen year and forced me outside of my comfort zone which fueled my sense of confidence and helped build character. I still carry with me many of those lessons I learned. I am also a really, really good skier ;) The second event was my move to San Diego. Not only did I meet my husband there but it allowed me to spread my wings and move away from the safety of familiar places and faces. I made new friends and was exposed to different cultures and people. I think everyone should experience living in a part of the country totally different from that which they grew up in.
16. I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder in my early 20s. Without that diagnosis and the medication prescribed to me I would have never graduated from college. I still struggle with some of the symptoms but have learned to recognize them and deal. I don't like to talk about my ADD with many people because I know there are those that don't believe it is a real diagnosis. In fact, I've had people laugh when I told them (none of them read this blog by the way!). For this reason, I choose to just keep it to myself. 
17. I am a bibliophile. I could read a book straight through in one sitting if it holds my interest. In fact, I've got a pile about 15 books high in my queue and a 3 page list of books I want to buy on Amazon. My favorite store is Barnes & Noble. My favorite genre is historical fiction.
18. When I was in H.S. I spent a week vacationing in the Boundary Waters with some friends. Grant Anderson told me there was a "floating" 7-11 and I believed him. I spent all week talking and dreaming about the cherry slushy I was going to get. Nicole believed him too so she'd better not be laughing at me right now.
19. I love really bad pop music. I have since I was 9. My perfect playlist includes Britney, Madonna, Mariah & Justin Timberlake. I want to be a pop star in my next life. Like Britney without the crazy.
20. I am a recycling nazi. I recycle or reuse almost everything. It makes me so angry how so few of my neighbors recycle their trash. I  believe that humans will make this earth uninhabitable for life because of over-consumption. This philosophy is in direct conflict with my love of disposable diapers & wipes, my gas guzzling SUV and Clorox toilet wand cleaners. What can I say....I do what I can.
21. I believe in reincarnation. I am almost positive I lived through the medieval ages. I bet I was probably a medieval princess.
22. If I don't exercise regularly I get cranky and irritable. I love exercising but don't do it nearly as often as I should. I would love to participate in a marathon but I hate running so that will never happen.
23. I failed miserably in my career as a personal trainer. I have no patience for laziness and have a difficult time understanding why people don't make time for exercise because it is so important to do for your body. 
24. I love living in Colorado. While I miss the lakes of MN I don't think I could ever leave the mountains. My soul feels most at peace with itself when it is surrounded by the Rockies.
25. I really do feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I have a great family which is (almost) always a blast to be around. All of my siblings have unique personalities which can make for very interesting holiday gatherings. I've got a strong (and growing) support system of really great girlfriends. I live for girl weekends! I am blessed with an amazing husband and healthy child(ren). I have been blessed many times over.