My 100 List

For all three people who actually read my blog, here is the much awaited 100 list. My educated guess is that this little exercise will be easy for me...based on the fact that I think a lot of myself! I'll let you know at the end of this if my hypothesis was correct.

100. Don't know why, but I wanted to start at 100 and work my way to 1. What does that tell you?

99. I am a Christian...born - again, believer, saved by His grace, washed with His blood, a member of the Body of Christ, child of God, daughter of the King, co-heirs with Christ...however you prefer it - I'm it.

98. Most of the time, I don't act like #99 or believe it.

97. Like I said before, I think a lot of myself.

96. Based on #97, I constantly have to remind myself of the verses, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4

95. I am married to Robert. This Friday (Aug. 31st) will be five years!

94. We met in Guadalajara, Mexico in the summer of 2000. He was working as a missionary. I was on a college missions trip.

93. I knew he was the one that I was going to marry.

92. I admire Robert for his loyalty, his selflessness in serving others, and his integrity...qualities that I often lack.

91. I remember saying before we married that I wanted to be a "helper" to him. After marriage, I confess that I have been irritated at the very things that I said I wanted to help him with. Imagine that.

90. We have a son, Bo, who is 15 months old. He is an awesome kid! I love to hear him say new words or imitate sounds we make. Even at times when I am getting frustrated, he makes me smile and I can feel nothing but love for him!

89. Just recently I have rethought my plan of having children close together. My original plan was to have them 2 years apart (Lord willing). But I would maybe like to do a few things before I get pregnant again, therefore putting my children farther apart in age.

88. Those things include - going on the high school beach trip this next summer and maybe even the high school missions trip.

87. Depending on the length of the high school missions trip, I think I would be pretty anxious about leaving Bo for such a long period of time.

86. I really love going on missions trips! I have been to Guadalajara and Merida, Mexico and to Ukraine.

85. I have also visited Tunisia, where my brother worked for two years; Mexico City, where Robert lived while we were "dating"; Cancun, the honeymoon; the Bahamas (see #83); and London, to tour for a day at the end of the Ukraine trip.

84. I LOVE to travel and see other countries and cultures!

83. My very first plane ride was when I was a sophomore in college. We went to the Bahamas for a basketball tournament.

82. I played basketball at Presbyterian College, a Division 2 school, for 3 years.

81. I love it that my college mascot is the Blue Hose! (if you want to know, email me.)

80. I quit playing basketball my senior year so I could lead a discipleship group.

79. I tore my ACL my freshman year of college...playing basketball.

78. Both of my grandparents on my mom's side died my freshman year of college, nine days apart. It was the second time I experienced the death of someone close to me.

77. The first was when we lost my 8-month old cousin, Michael. I believe that God is good and perfect, but I don't think I will ever understand the death of a child.

76. I became a Christian the summer after my freshman year of college. I was at Summer Beach Project, a spiritual growth opportunity led by a college ministry called Campus Outreach.

75. The Lord used a chart to change my heart. It contrasted the characteristics of a proud heart with those of a humble heart. I checked off every characteristic on the proud heart side.

74. I still struggle with my pride.

73. I think I am right the majority of the time. Most of the time, I am. haha.

72. The toilet paper should go over the roll. Not under. I change it, even in other people's houses!

71. I don't make my bed in the morning. Never have, never will. I will make my children make their beds. And maybe even mine.

70. I really do not understand why we have weather people on the news every day, especially every five minutes of the news program (except for when hurricanes are coming). I can look outside and tell you what the weather is.

69. I never wash my face before going to bed.

68. And if I'm really tired, I don't brush my teeth either.

67. I hate, I mean, HATE, going to the dentist.

66. I usually have a high tolerance for physical pain...except for mouth pain.

65. My brother and I have basically the same recurring nightmare. It involves my teeth breaking into little pieces, so much so that they are making me gag. They don't stop crumbling until I wake up, always feeling my teeth to see if they're still there because the nightmare is so real.

64. We have this dream because my mom used to tell us our teeth were going to fall out if we didn't brush them. Thanks, mom.

63. I'm not one of those girls that talk to their moms on the phone everyday. It doesn't mean I love my mom any less than girls that do.

62. I don't like to talk on the phone, unless it's accomplishing something or it's with a far away friend to catch up.

61. I admire my mom so much for going to college when I was in third grade. She still cooked, cleaned and got us where we needed to be, all while being a full-time student. I really don't know how she did it.

60. Being a mom has made me appreciate my mom so much more.

59. I LOVE being a mom! I love it that I have the opportunity to teach a child all the things I think are important. Although some days, it also scares the crap out of me.

58. I'm also scared of heights, but only when I'm supporting myself...for example, tree climbing, ropes courses. Even though I'm scared, I still do it. Well, not so much tree climbing anymore.

57. I can sleep with the lights on. But I can't sleep if I don't have something covering me, even if it's burning hot.

56. I can sleep through my husband's loud snoring, thunderstorms, even a hurricane. But I wake up if I hear my son cry.

55. I LOVE storms! The lightning and thunder and pouring rain and dark clouds. It's awesome. But I don't like driving in the rain.

54. I cracked my elbow when I was five playing duck-duck-goose. To this day, I get anxious if I have to play it.

53. I broke my right thumb twice. The first time in 7th grade, roller skating. The second time in 9th grade, playing softball.

52. I've had stitches once, but only because of major surgery -ACL. Not because of accidents.

51. When I was in 3rd grade, I was stung about 13 times by a swarm of yellow jackets. Not fun.

50. When I was two, my hands were burned really badly by hot water from a kitchen faucet. Parents - turn your hot water heaters down.

49. I'm kinda like a guy, in the fact that I like to brag about all my injuries and scars.

48. In all my years of playing sports, I have never sprained my ankles. And I'm proud of it.

47. I'm a wuss when it comes to spicy food. I don't like to sweat or have my nose running when I am eating.

46. I like to think that I am tougher - physically, mentally, emotionally - than I actually am.

45. I don't cry in movies, and I usually kinda laugh to myself at people who do. Sorry.

44. I have a good sense of direction if I'm by myself. If someone else is in the car, I usually rely on them.

43. Even though I grew up playing sports, I'm not an avid spectator or a die-hard fan of any particular team. The only thing I HAVE to watch is the NCAA tournament.

42. If I turn on a game in progress, I almost always cheer for the team that is losing. I love cheering for the underdog.

41. I don't understand die-hard fans. In fact, I think it's kinda silly.

40. I LOVE comedy. I love jokes. I love laughing. I enjoy watching NBC's "Last Comic Standing".

39. Sometimes I think I could be a comedian. I think I'm a pretty funny person.

38. I also think I could be an actress. But not in a drama. Or not in anything where I had to cuss or be naked in any way. But that doesn't leave much to choose from nowadays!

37. I was one of those students that didn't study a whole lot, but still made straight A's. I also didn't read most of the books I was supposed to for my English classes, but still managed to write decent papers on them. Sorry.

36. I once mopped the top of the freezer sections in a Food Lion near Myrtle Beach, SC during my summer employment as a stocker. It was disgusting.

35. I grew up in a really small town (pop. approx. 6,000), but I really like living in a big city. More shopping and entertainment choices.

34. I saved two kids from drowning. Once when I was just a little girl, and once when I was a lifeguard. I can still picture their faces and the fear that I saw in their eyes. Parents - teach your kids to swim.

33. I have a love/hate relationship with fashion. Mostly hate. I love it when I get a new outfit and it makes me look and feel really good. I hate it when everything I try on makes me look and feel bad. I also hate it that fashion is used to define people. I often wish that everyone wore the exact same thing, so we couldn't judge and stereotype each other by what we wear.

32. I didn't grow up with cable TV or a satellite dish or TiVo. We don't have any of those now, and we have no plans for ever getting them.

31. I like to be hugged, but I am slow to give them out.

30. I LOVE to take naps.

29. I would like to get a tattoo, but everyone who loves me won't let me.

28. I can get addicted to things pretty easily. That's why I don't gamble, drink or play lots of video games. I once lost $13 on a quarter machine at an amusement park. I was on it for most of the day, forfeiting the time that I could have been riding rides.

27. I have never been really comfortable around older/elderly people. I just don't know what to say or do. I wish I did, so I could have enjoyed my grandparents more, and learned from them.

26. I absolutely HATE superficial conversations. They exhuast me. But being in ministry has forced me to learn how to have them.

25. I hate making major decisions. I always fear choosing the wrong thing, even though I believe that the Lord is in control.

24. I grew up Baptist, and am very thankful for that. I love the fact that I know a lot of Baptist hymns, and I want to pass them on to my children.

23. I fear committing to new things, because I fear that I won't like the new thing but I'll still have to do it for a long period of time. It keeps me from doing a lot of things.

22. I really want to be good at cooking. I get really frustrated when I follow a recipe and it doesn't turn out like it's supposed to.

21. I also get really frustrated when I've taken something out to thaw for dinner, and it's not thawed when I'm ready to start cooking.

20. I was voted "Most Athletic" for my high school Senior Superlatives. I pretty much thought I deserved it.

19. I've recently recognized that instead of having an attitude of thanksgiving and service, I have an attitude of entitlement and deserving. It makes me mad at myself. I want to change, but don't know how.

18. I was voted "Miss Congeniality" in my high school pageant a record two years in a row. The first time, I was shocked. And I have never admitted that the second time, I kinda tried to win it. And yes, I was in a pageant....twice.

17. I think I want to have at least 4 kids. And sometimes I think about having a multi-racial family. But sometimes I think I only want these things because I admire the parents of these kinds of families and think that they have taken on a noble task.

16. I really want to be an outdoorsy person. Camping, rock climbing, hiking. I didn't grow up doing these things, but really want my family to do them. So right now, I'm just a wannabe outdoorsy person. I have two pair of Chacos to prove it.

15. I don't sew, knit, crochet, do needle-point, make scrapbooks, decorate, make stationary, do any kind of crafts, own my own business, grow flowers, make home-made jam or bread, etc. I am TOTALLY okay with that. Although sometimes I wish I could just hem my own pants or sew a button on.

14. I can pretty much learn how to play any musical instrument with practice. So far: piano, snare drum, french horn, trumpet, trombone, guitar, a tad bit of mandolin, and I'm sort of learning how to play the djembe (like an african drum). I didn't say I remember how to play all of these, but at some point I knew and with some refreshment, I'm pretty confident I could play them decently again.

13. M & M's are by far my favorite all time candy. So crunchy on the outside and smooth and creamy on the inside. Only recently have I started to enjoy the dark chocolate ones. And they're healthy too!! I also enjoy the peanut kind.

12. I LOVE watching movies. Mostly romantic comedies, comedy, drama, action, thriller, but definitely not horror.

11. I LOVE music. I listen to different types depending on my mood.

10. I really enjoy game shows and reality TV competitions and trivia. Anything from Jeopardy to The Amazing Race to Cash Cab.

9. I would really LOVE to be on the Amazing Race. I'm seriously trying to figure out how to get on it, but I just can't figure out how to justify leaving my child at home while I'm away.

8. I do not drink coffee. Ever.

7. I rarely drink anything but water. Except for the milk in my cereal.

6. I think people that have to have their "Coke" everyday have an addiction, because they are depending on a substance to make them feel better. I know I'm offending a ton of people right now, but remember I'm always right. : ) Feel free to leave a comment and try to defend yourself.

5. I LOVE ice cream. Something about the summer makes me eat a lot of it. I mean a lot.

4. I really do love my sisters-in-law. They are both genuine and compassionate women, who teach me a lot about being a loving and supportive wife, and a frugal and intentional mom.

3. I'm one of those people who need time to themselves.

2. I would much rather be really hot than really cold. I thank the Lord He moved us to Texas and not any state north of West Virginia!

1. I believe that even though technology has increased the ways we can "connect" with each other, we are becoming more and more disconnected as people on a personal level. Therefore, we need to be very intentional in our relationships to listen and care for one another.

My hypothesis was correct. It was pretty easy to come up with 100 things about myself. I actually could have added more! I told you I think a lot of myself. Hope you enjoyed the list! I now challenge you, Mom and Dad Smyrl, Mom and Dad Sanders, Jon and Amy, Tanner and Audrey, and all family and friends to come up with your own lists. Will you accept the challenge or are you chicken?