Monkey See, Monkey Do

My sister mentioned a list that was floating around a while back that asks everyone to list 25 random things about themselves.  She posted her list on her blog.  I thought that list was so interesting, that I'd try my hand at one.  I've never done this before so it will take some thought.

1. I hate having someone hang up on me.  I think it is so rude and disrespectful.
2. I'm always surprised when I see myself in a mirror.  I look nothing like I expect.
3. My one regret will always be that I never had any children.  I think I would have been a good Mom.
4. I’ve donated over 5gal of blood to the American Red Cross.
5. I love lighthouses and I enjoy climbing to the top when possible.  But I’m afraid of heights so it takes me longer to come down than go up, which considering how out of shape I am is saying something.
6. If ever given the opportunity to have plastic surgery, especially breast reduction, I would jump at the chance.  
7. I think the biggest gifts we can give our children are the love of learning, an adventurous spirit and compassion for others.
8. I'm halfway through War & Peace and the Bible, but I can't seem to finish either one of them.
9. I miss living in the country more than any other place I've ever lived.  The wide open spaces, the cool comfort of the woods, and the silence are all places in my soul.
10. I hate good-byes; leaving family or friends just tears (both meanings of the word) me up.
11. I believe if it hadn't been for my parents' divorce, I wouldn't be as close to my Mom as I am today or my aunt, uncle and cousin, for that matter. (and sisters, as I was reminded)
12. I strongly believe in corporal punishment and the death penalty.  Not sure what that says about me, but I'm also sure I don't really care.
13. I'm so glad that my father thought us girls should know how to change a tire and check the fluids in our cars.  By doing that he showed me that having a basic understanding of how my car worked could only help me in the future; even if I didn't do the repairs myself.
14. Sweet tea is the drink of the gods.  And like the McD's commercial says, "There are NO follow-up questions".
15. I want to take my motorcycle to Alaska.  Alone or with a group doesn't matter to me.
16. I love to swim, but I hate buying swimsuits.  I love being in the water.  And on that topic, why do all plus size swimsuits have plunging necklines.  Geesh, I have boobs but I'd like to swim without having to worry that they will be on full display.
17. If you don't know the definition of a word or how to pronounce it, use another word.  That drives me nuts!
18. My sisters and I usually have a good time when we are together, but the best time I can think of recently was a couple of years ago at the beach.  We were all crammed into a 2 bedroom condo and tempers didn't always remain cool with that many people.  But we all went down to the pool and swam together.  There was a water slide attached to the pool and amazingly both of my sisters were up for climbing to the top and sliding down.  We must of ridden down 10 times at least and we laughed till we cried.  Well, I think the only reason we stopped was we couldn't stop laughing long enough to catch our breaths for the climb back up.  I'm sure there were some people talking trash about the women acting silly, but I'll always be glad we didn't care.  We had the best time.
19. I would like to travel to Israel someday.  To be so near where Jesus lived and died (and lived again) would be a truly emotional experience.
20. You should apologize at the same volume you insult someone.  I can't stand when someone calls me out on a something in public and then comes to me in private with an "Oops, I was wrong. Sorry".  That's BS.
21. I love to read "Green Eggs and Ham" to the niece and nephews.  It makes all of us laugh when I try to read a whole passage in one breath and I'm kind of amazed when I manage it.
22. When we were kids and stayed with my grandmother, she had lots of puzzles.  We must have put some of those puzzles together ten times.  That could be why I enjoy all kinds of puzzles today.
23.  The best and worst moments of my life have all been celebrated/experienced with my family.  What's really telling is the worst ones are all about the niece and nephews, and no longer about me, my sisters or my Mom.
24. I love my family more than anything on Earth.  I can't imagine not having the support and love of family.  They can drive me crazy, but they are the first ones I think to share my good or bad news with.
25. I believe that laughter is most definitely the best medicine.  The times I haven't been able to laugh about then were some of the worst in my life, but other than those life-threatening moments we've laughed our way through every crisis. Well, laughing and plotting some awful payback or demise for the other person, of course.

I'm amazed with how long it has taken me to write this list.  I just don't know that there are that many things that people really want to know about me, but you're stuck with these now. I'm sure as soon as I post the list I'll come up with a dozen that I should have included.