Six Things

Dana tagged me to tell six things about myself so here goes:

1. I was once engaged to someone other than my husband. I may erase this one soon because I don't think the husband is aware of this fact. I met this other guy in high school and dated him briefly then, but the majority of our relationship occured off and one while I was in college. He would profess his undying love for me and how he could not live without me and then, BAM, within three months he would be with this other girl. Always the same other girl. I would swear upon all that was holy that I would never speak to him and then he'd show up with some sort of sob story and a repeat of the undying love and I'd fall for it everytime. I was young and stupid. If he hadn't knocked up other girl and ran away to the Marine Corps to escape it all, I have no idea where I'd have ended up. His mother broke up with me for him, in tears because they loved me so much. I still wonder if I stayed with him because of them. They have since died. We were to have been married December 10, 1994. I want something great to happen on that day so I can stop remembering it every time it rolls around. I am indebted to other girl because if it weren't for her and her obvious attempt to trap him into marrying her, my life might have been very different and I don't think I would have been very happy.

2. I will eat anything that has blue cheese in it. Blue cheese is the bomb. When I go to a new restaurant I always scan the menu to see if any of the entrees or appetizers contain it. At one time Bennigans had tons of things with blue cheese and I must have eaten there three times a week until I got pregnant with Elizabeth. I will only, though, eat the Ultimate Blue Cheese Dressing that is sold with the salad veggies. All of the rest suck.

3. I have been phasing in The Feingold Diet for a few months now. If you haven't heard of it, it's eating food that does not contain artificial colors, dyes, and preservatives. You'd think it would be easy, but it's harder than you think. You can read the labels, but depending on the amount, sometimes the artificial things aren't listed. Or an ingredient in the food happens to have an artificial ingredient in it. The Feingold people will send you book with all the foods they have researched to be "pure", but it costs 85 bucks and I don't have an extra 85 bucks when groceries cost the way they do. I started this after learning about it at the ADHD support group. Apparently dyes and preservatives are linked to behavioral problems. Jacob's breakfasts and lunches are entirely Feingold acceptable and there has been a difference at school this year, so who knows? I am sticking with it because I don't think my little kids need so many chemicals in them. I don't know if we will ever be fully preservative free because it's very expensive to buy everything on the list. That and we like junk food a lot.

4. I LOVE the movie Sound of Music and I only just saw it for the first time in May. Julie Andrews rocks, man.

5. We had not agreed on a name before Elizabeth was born. I wanted Rachel or Erin (or better yet, Rachel Erin) and Derick was sold on Elizabeth which Jacob came up with from a Thomas car he had. On the drive to the hospital at 4:30 a.m., I was going to push Rachel when the song "Beth" by Kiss came on the radio. I took that as a sign that she would be a girl and her name should be Elizabeth. Hormones are a bitch. I still sometimes wish she'd been a Rachel. Sshh, never tell her.

6. My college roommate died of breast cancer in 1999. She was 27. I have been pen pals with her mother ever since I mailed a sympathy card way back then. We exchange letters about once a month. I send pictures of my kids and she mails them gifts on their birthdays, Christmas, and Halloween. I have not spoken with her on the phone or in person in nine years, but she considers my kids her other grandkids and their pictures claim a spot on their baby grand and my kids think she's their other grandma. I kind of feel like my friend led me to her because we have both been a big help to each other a different times in our lives.

You can play. Tell six things about yourself and then drop me a comment so I can go over and read yours too.