21 Random Facts about Me

Have you ever wondered about the person behind the blog?

I am a 40-something wife, mother, and small business owner who is passionate about my family, food, running, and our finances. But you knew that, right?

Here’s 21 Random Facts about Me that you didn’t know:

1. My husband and I have been together for almost 23 years, but married for almost 14 years. We were long distance from one another for 6 of those 9 years before we got married, due to my job at the time and his pursuit of higher education in a different state.

2. I was 36 & 38 when I had children.

3. I home-birthed both of my daughters.

4. I am almost 5 feet 11 inches tall.

5. My first concert was in the fall of 1987. I was a freshman in college and I took a bus to Pittsburgh to see 10,000 Maniacs open up for REM. What a blast.

6. Speaking of college, I have a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration with a major in Marketing from Indiana University of PA.

7. I still use the same checking account that I opened up in 1986 when I was in high school. After I got married, I realized my mom was still on the account, I had to go to the bank to get my mommy off the account and put my new husband on the account. It’s at a credit union and if it ain’t broke, why fix it!

8. I’m registered as No-Affiliation in the state of PA, which means that as an Independent I do not have voting rights during the primary elections.  I didn’t understand the difference between the two parties back when I registered to vote at age 18, so I chose No-Affiliation (PA’s term for Independent). All of these years later, I completely understand the difference of the two parties, but I like the term Independent, so I’m sticking with it.

9. I failed my driver’s test the first time I took it at age 16. I blame the kid before me as he almost hit a pedestrian and riled up the officer that was handling exams that day.  The officer failed me when I made a left turn into two lanes and I turned into the right lane not the left lane. Every time I make a turn like that I have flash backs to 1985. Thankfully, I passed the exam on my next try.

10. My first car was a brand new 1991 Toyota Corolla. I bought it when I had a job offer after I graduated from college. I don’t remember what the car cost, but it took me 4 years to pay it off. I drove it for 9 years and 140,000 miles when I traded it in. It was a great car.

11. I now drive a mom van. I swore that would never happen, but my husband asked me to test drive a van when I was pregnant with our second child. And I fell hard for a van–seriously, the designer must have been a parent. My favorite element: power sliding doors that open from my key ring. Seven years later the van is still running strong.

12. My first job out of college was a trainee in the Buyer Management program at a now defunct department store named, Hess’s. The first buying office that I worked in was women’s fragrances. Everyone in my family got full sized fragrance sample bottles for Christmas that year.

13. I was 23 when I flew on an airplane for the first time.

14. The only other countries I have been to are Canada and Mexico. I got really sick in Mexico, so I’m not sure I’ll ever go back.

15. I was born in Maine. My dad was in the Air Force and he was stationed in northern Maine. I lived there for 9 months before moving to PA where I have lived ever since.

16. I hated all vegetables as a kid, but now enjoy most of them. EXCEPT lima beans. Still hate them and still hate the sight of them.

17. My favorite food is my mom’s PA Dutch chicken pot pie. It’s not a pie, but more of a stew.

18. I had a melanoma successfully removed 3 years ago. I am painfully afraid of the sun now and it has made my summers somewhat tense. I have a great collection of cute baseball caps that I wear constantly.

19. My favorite colors are sour apple green and turquoise.

20. My favorite movies of all time: Legends of the Fall (an early Brad Pitt movie) and Almost Famous, but I was a teenager in the 80’s, so Pretty in Pink and Breakfast Club rank pretty high too.

21. My husband and I thought we were just buying a “starter” home back in 2001 and that we would only be in it for 5 years. We’ll celebrate 13 years in our home this September and we’re not going anywhere.