8 Somewhat Interesting Facts & 17 Mediocre Ones

I was recently tagged to write a 25 Things meme about myself.  At first I thought 25 things?  25 interesting things about me? I'm only thirty one, so that's close to one interesting thing a year.  That's a lot of pressure.  So, I'm going to say that only like 8 of these are interesting and the other 17 are mediocre at best.  You be the judge as to which is which.

1. My very first bike was a bright pink Schwinn with a white banana seat.  My dad bought all the components and built it for me by hand.

2. As a kid, I loved making molasses taffy with my Grandpa.  The feel of hot taffy sliding through my small, buttery hands is tied to my memory of his face.

3. In third grade I won a spelling trophy.  I still have the trophy.  Oh, and I can spell words backwards.

4.  In fourth grade I won my first writing award for a poem about the Earth.  That meant I got to attend the Literary Festival where I sat in on classes by real authors.  I entered the contest and won each year through my junior year in high school.  The Literary Festival was by far the coolest day of the school year.

5.  I make a mean balloon animal.  I learned how to make balloon animals in preparation for a missionary trip to Mexico when I was 15.

6.  I married Terry when I was the ripe old age of 19.  He was 23.  I count it a real blessing to have grown up together within our marriage.

7.  When I was 30, I attended the NCWP Summer Institute and it's enhanced every facet of my writing, including how I foster a love of writing in my young writers.

8.  Every July I spend a week volunteering at a Youth to Youth conference with a few hundred of my favorite teenagers.  It's a fantastic week and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

9.  A newly hatched dragonfly once landed on my nose in front of 40 first graders.  The feel of the dragonfly tiptoeing on my nose along with the squeals of delight from my little ones will always make me smile.

10.  When I got married and changed my last name, I moved my last name to the middle so that I would always be connected to my brothers.  You should see the looks I get when people ask what my middle name is.  I guess Wheeler isn't a popular middle name, especially for girls.

11.  I watch Gilmore Girls every weekday.  Oy, with the poodles already!

12.  I play electronic Yahtzee almost daily.  My husband currently holds the top score and my jealousy is palpable.

13.  I once visited a town in Eastern Europe that is home to many, many storks and their monstrous nests.  It was terrifying.

14.  I'm a Mac.

15.  I have a huge laundry basket of cards, notes, and special things written by my loved ones.  If I ever have to evacuate my house, it will be one of the first things I grab.

16.  I love the movie Dirty Dancing.  My copy of it lives on the floor in the corner of my living room behind a chair because my husband insists on proving that he puts Baby in a corner.

17.  I know all the words to the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song.  Be nice to me or I'll sing it.

18.  All other responsibilities fall away during Shark Week.

19.  My favorite color and my favorite song are one in the same: Green.

20. I would like to become fluent in Spanish.  Once I had a dream in Spanish.  I'm positive I conjugated all of the verbs incorrectly.

21.  Psalm 121 is my current favorite chapter of the Bible.

22.  I've got funny stories galore, but I can't tell a joke to save my life.

23.  My nephew, Landon, makes me all mushy and giddy inside.  He also compels me to do stupid things like chase him around on all fours with Cars slippers on my hands.

24.  Laurie Notaro's books make me laugh out loud.

25.  I have ridden 112 miles on my bicycle in one day.  I hope to top that this season.