Wednesday, November 19, 2008

54 Things About Me For My 54th Birthday Inspired by Nora
(Most of you probably know all this stuff, but here it is anyway.)


54. I’m a terrible procrastinator, so in order for this to be done by November, I’m starting it in August.

53. Every once in a while, I get the feeling that I’m actually quite retarded, but I’m kept blissfully unaware of this fact because the people around me are good at covering for me.

52. I was amazed and astounded that, when I had to have my mare, Jasmine, put down, I grieved her loss with the very same grief that I felt when my brother died.

51. I don’t like talking on the telephone. I’d rather chat in person, so let’s do lunch some time.

50. I don’t like to eat out any place where I have to unwrap my food.

49. If I try to sleep past 5:30 AM, I start having nightmares.

48. I have four recurring dreams quite regularly. One involves a tornado, one features a firing squad, one involves a house I’ve never seen, but is apparently mine that only has three walls, and the other has me remorselessly committing a heinous crime.

47. I really miss John Denver.

46. I’ve lost 37 pounds since January 7, 2008.

45. I always wait way to long to replace my worn out underwear.

44. I have only owned four horses in my lifetime: they were/are Glory, Jasmine, Bubba and Lucy.

43. It is one of the disappointments of my life that I was born too late to be involved with my dad and grandpa when they owned and trained Thoroughbred race horses.

42. I gave birth to my children using the LaMaze method and no medication. (Does anybody do that anymore?)

41. I breast-fed my babies until they were about a year old. And I used cloth diapers. (Don’t be blaming me for the overflowing landfills!)

40. I am very easily startled.

39. I hate – and I do mean HATE – mice.

38. I own too many cookbooks.

37. When I am away from home overnight, I miss my cat, Webber, more than anything else.

36. I have written two books and am looking for a publisher.

35. I collaborated with a good friend and we self-published a collection of WWII memoirs of veterans back in 1995.

34. I am extremely introverted and easily intimidated.

33. I want to ‘handy’ a pair of oxen. (some of you city slickers might need to look that one up.) This is on my Bucket List.

32. I sing in a Gospel Quartet. I prefer to sing Alto, but sometimes sing Tenor.

31. I play guitar and piano; but (usually) not in public.

30. I love River City Roundup and hope to go on the Northeast Ride for the next ten years.

29. I am medically diagnosed to be in Menopause – or as I like to call it “Mental Pause.” It’s weird. More about that later.

28. I snore.

27. I talk in my sleep.

26. It’s now September and this is as far as I’ve gotten.

25. Every once in a while, someone calls me “sir.” I HATE that. Even more than mice. (And BTW, if you’ve met me, please tell me why anyone would think I am a man?)

24. I LOVE living in Nebraska, but if I had the opportunity, I would like to live in Australia for a few years. I will, however, end my days in Nebraska.

23. I love the Chicago Cubs.

22. I cheer wholeheartedly for the Nebraska Cornhusker Football, Volleyball, and Baseball teams.

21. It makes me sad that I can’t play softball anymore.

20. I hope that there will be another Triple Crown Winner in Thoroughbred horse racing during my lifetime.

19. I love to sew. Quilts are my favorite thing to make.

18. Blogstock and meeting some of my blog buddies was the highlight of my summer of ’08.

17. Is this boring, or what????

16. It’s October, now and I’m running out of me stuff.

15. My favorite Christmas Carol is “Silent Night.” Second favorite is the Trans Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Eve in Sarajevo.”

14. I drink way too much coffee.

13. I home-schooled Jack and Emily from 1996-2002. On our very first day of school, we stood outside on a jewel (rare and precious) of a fall day and watched a Monarch butterfly migration.

12. I gave birth to a stillborn son, James Lee, January 1, 1980.

11. Because of #12, I used to dread the Christmas Season, but Jack and Emily taught me how to love it again.

10. It’s November 19th – 6 days after I was supposed to be done with this and I’m still working on it. Told you I was a procrastinator.

9. My favorite type of music is Country & Western.

8. I’m a big fan of Sean Hannity.

7. I am pretty certain of the “new direction” and “change” Barack Obama is going to bring to this country. I hope with all my heart that he proves me wrong.

6. I love going to early church (8:00 AM) and then coming home to make a traditional Sunday Dinner for my family. (Meat, potatoes, vegetable, dessert…)

5. It is by Divine Intervention that I’ve been married the best man on the planet for 32 years.

4. I am deeply offended when I hear the phrase “Oh my God” used as an exclamation. It demonstrates a complete lack of respect for a Name that should only be held in the highest regard. Back in the day of Orthodox Scribes, the name of God was considered too Holy to even write it on paper and now we toss it around like a piece of verbal clutter. I’d like someone to explain to me why the ACLU will defend anyone’s right to use profane language in public or in any broadcasting venue, but object to public displays of Christian faith.

3. My Life Verse is 1 Peter 1:3 “Praised be the God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance which can never perish, spoil or fade, kept in Heaven for you who, through faith, are shielded by God’s power.”

2. I love God with all my heart and I am grateful that He has forgiven me and for the Gift of Eternal life He gave me through His son, Jesus Christ.

1. I want all of you to find that Salvation in Him, if you haven’t already.

24 comments:

Ralph said...

Janell

Happy birthday. Great list.

Ralph

Scarlet said...

Wow! I love your list! Congratulations on completing it!!

I must say, the last part of #4 is thought provoking. #12 made me sad, but reading #13 made me happier. ;)

Happy Birthday!! When you have more time, can you elaborate on the one item you mentioned on your Bucket List?

shelbs87 said...

This was fun to read!! It makes me want to make one...but I'd only have to come up with 22 things in like 6 months. It seems too easy so maybe I'll wait a few years! :)

cdroses said...

Congrats on completing your list! As my current favorite saying goes..."so what!" if it's not before your birthday.

I hope your birthday was wonderful!

BTW...keep that bucket list updated..and most of all, keep crossing things off of it!

Shirley said...

Who is Sean Hannity?

Don't spend too much time worrying about where Barack Obama is going to take us. Look where we've been the last few years. Up is the only direction from here.

Janell said...

Thank you, Ralph. I had a very happy birthday last week, so your wish for me was granted.

Scarlet; I'm afraid to publish my Bucket List, because it changes almost weekly! What's up with that!? Maybe it will settle down in ten years or so - I've always done better under deadlines.

ShelblyShelby; Start one now and add to it each year.

Thank you, Cindy. You've sure done a great job of crossing off goals achieved this year. Waytogogirl!

Shirley; Are you kidding me? Hannity is on the radio 1290 2-4 PM daily and on Fox News "Hannity and Colmes" I'll bet you know who Allen Colmes is - at 8 PM.
And I couldn't disagree more on the direction thing. I wish you'd tune in to Bill O'Reilly. (on Fox News 7 PM) He presents both sides of the aisle very well. And read the book "How I Accidently Joined the Right Wing Conspiracy" by Harry Stein.... Please.
Remember, I read Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" even though I didn't want to....

Paul Nichols said...

Happy Birthday!

I'm with you all the way on #4.
And #21.

Shirley said...

You may be wrong about the prcrastinating thing -- you made it in fine time for your 54th birthday.

cdroses said...

P.S. Yes, women still use LaMaze. At least I did with Kendra (12 years ago?!) It may be a different version than what you went through.

LaDawn said...

What a great idea!

We have a lot in common and some differences (Sean Hannity, seriously?).

Regardless, Happy Birthday to an amazing individual who makes the world a better place because she is in it every single day and I have the privlege of knowing her. She is an inspiration to all who meet her. Much love and many happy returns!

Sue said...

Some I knew. Some I didn't know. Some made me laugh. Some made me sad. Some suprised me. Most I agree with. It wasn't boring. When I write OMG it means "Oh my gosh".

Do I have to do 66 by April? If I do I better start now, or maybe add one and wait until 2010. OMG that sounds like a long time away.

Mary Connealy said...

Janell, I love your list.
I'm about 1/2 to 3/4 the same.

You'd think we grew up next door to each other or something. :)

I'm a bit surprised to hear you're afraid of mice, though. I don't think I realized that.

I expected better of you than that.

Yes, I'm terrified of mice.

Mary Connealy said...

Oh, and, as for the one where you think you're retarded??? I have seriously considered applying for a handicapped parking stick just based on my forgetfulness...surely that's SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!

Janell said...

Paul; When you and your First Wife come here to ride horses with me, bring your bat and glove. We'll have a pretend game of softball; where everyone "walks" the bases whether they get a hit or not.

Shirley; (or Bob?) my birthday was 7 days ago, so technically, I am a week late.

Cindy; I'm glad to know that! A lot of the young moms I've heard from lately never even considered LaMaze. Most of them joke quite heartily about screaming, "BRING ME MORPHINE!!!!" at the most crucial moment.

LDCP: Yes. Seriously. I hope you'll consider reading the Harry Stein book I referred to Shirley. It took me three days to read so you should get through it in a couple of hours. And many thanks for your kind words. I wouldn't even be here in the Blogosphere without your encouragement.

Sue; I'm glad to know you aren't cursing when you write omg. If you do 66 things, make the first 33 be things about you that happened before I was born. Sometimes I feel like an outsider among my siblings, because so much of our family life happened before I came along.

Mary; Yes. Mice creep me out to the max. I probably won't even consider reading "Of Mice and Murder" when it comes out. Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" gave me nightmares. And can you really get a handicapped sticker for being forgetful? Sign me up, girl!

Shirley said...

Janell --- you are not 54 yet.

Janell said...

Holy crap. Bad math. So cross off # 54.

Anonymous said...

Janell, congrats on 54! I am honored to know you and one of these days we will meet!

I loved the list. Questions / Comment.
--What were the books about?
--Sean Hannity, Right on!
--I am glad you shared James Lee with everyone.
--I'd love to do lunch, but you will have to settle for the occasional call from me for now. Nebraska is on my list!

Cliff said...

Well (said indignently) #5 really burst my bubble. :)
Great list. I loved it.

Mary Connealy said...

Oh, and I thought of this later. Are you SURE you're turning 54, cuz I think you're turning 53.
We're the same age and I'm definitely turning 53, whether you say I can or not.

My mind is made up.

cdroses said...

Mary and Shirley: Thanks for clearing her age up, for us. I thought I was 10 years younger, so I thought I was turning 44. Which then made me think I was losing my mind (which is quite possible.)
Janell: girls these days are such wimps...begging for morphine! lol

Jim said...

Happy Birthday Janelle!

My, that is an awfully long list for such a young lady. I don't think you lost any weight during Blogstock '08?
..

Jamie Dawn said...

Happy belated B-day!!!!!

The dreams are freaking me out, especially the heinous crime part.
Please buy some new undies with your birthday money.
I am sad that you had a stillborn child. That pain must still be with you, deep inside. I know I'd carry that forever, even if time had healed the rawness of it.
Our babies mean so much to us as moms, and we can't help it.
I liked reading your list.
Thanks for sharing.

Mary Connealy said...

I told my husband I was sure you were 53...not 54 and since he's our age too, we debated, since we were in the same grade, whether you got...'red shirted'...for a year.

But coulnd't remember that happening, especially since we started kindergarten together and graduated high school together.

So, then I thought maybe your mom held you back. But considering YOUR mom and MY mom, with their umpteen zillion kids each, where no doubt shot putting us out of the house the first second it was an option, I doubted that.

So, anyway, glad your age is cleared up. And when I apply for the parking sticker, I'll mention all of you who share my confusion and see if I can get a One Square Mile group rate. :)

nora leona said...

I read your list weeks ago, and could have sworn that I commented. Ugggh, anyway.
Great list!
I'd call you to chat about #29 (it wasn't that bad, really) but I hate to talk on the telephone also.