From Auntie Mame to Uncle "Meme"

*Yikes* I am worse than my students - I was tagged before Christmas to complete my first ever meme, and I am just now getting to it! Of course, I am honored to have been tagged, but please bear with me if it is a little sloppy.

BusyDad is one of the best bloggers I have ever read. You absolutely have to visit his blog and leave him a comment (heck, tell him I sent you!). Anyway, on with the show....

Here are the rules:

Link to the person who tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
Share 7 facts about yourself.
Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So here goes:

1. I love the outdoors (in fact, I am an Eagle Scout!), but I can't squish most bugs or gut a fish. I remember hiking across a bridge when I was in Scouts, hearing several loud pops as I walked. Looking down, I discovered I had stepped on a few beetles. It totally grossed me out, and to this day I get the heebie-geebies thinking about bug squishing. I like to fish (although I haven't done it in years), but when I catch them, the only thing I can do is take the hook out and let them go unless someone else is there to "take care of it". If I have to get rid of a bug, I have been known to grab just about any aerosol or long-handled object, but I would prefer just to relocate them to somewhere outside.

2. I almost became a Catholic priest. Yep. I attended a small, private Catholic college for my undergraduate degree, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I met many amazing, truly "good" people during my time there, and through knowing them, my faith was transformed. I was in the pre-seminary program for 2 years before I was able to reconcile my faith with the reality of who I was (and am)...and while I have parted ways with the church due to some personal, irreconcilable differences on teachings, my faith remains a strong part of my "inner me".

3. I love road trips. Three years ago, without any planning, husband and I jumped in our little car and drove north through Nevada to Tahoe, and then over to California and up the coast through wine country, looping through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and western Montana before making our way back south. It was one of the best trips of my life....And, as a result of these types of trips, we are motivated to purchase an RV within the next 5 years so we can provide our son with these amazing opportunities for exploration.

4. Two of my favorite jobs have been in Airport Security and in Hospital Housekeeping. After my first semester of college, I dropped out because I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I took a job cleaning hospital rooms and labor and delivery rooms from 3 p.m. to midnight. I loved the sense of accomplishment, and didn't even mind cleaning up after a birth (I developed a whole new respect for women!) - I remember turning on soft music, cleaning a patient room after they had been discharged, and watching the snow fall in the lamplight outside.

After I returned to school a year later, I took a job as a pre-board screener at the local (small) airport. This was a fascinating job, both before and after 9/11. Once Jack Hannah (from the Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom shows) screamed at me and made a big scene because I wouldn't let him get on the flight with his big pocket knife. On another day, before 9/11, an 85 year-old woman kept causing our detectors to alarm...I told her I was going to have to pat her ankles with the backs of my hands, to which she replied "Oh would you please? I haven't had a man touch me in years!"...I promptly turned about 3 shades of red. Finally, shortly after 9/11, I was called to the ticket counter to search a random "checked luggage bag", which belonged to two elderly woman. As I was searching the suitcase, one of the women turned to the other and said "he's going to find our brother." I thought it an odd comment, but proceeded with my search. As I was finishing, I lifted the false fabric bottom found in most suitcases, only to find a big ziplock baggie. I took the bag out to see what it was...and discovered it was the cremated remains of their loved one. There are many more stories (I can't tell you how many cats/dogs I have seen through an x-ray machine, as well as the, um, personal items people choose to carry with them...*sigh*). Yep. Two of my favorite jobs!

5. We took a "Field of Dreams" approach when it came to adopting our son. Husband and I seriously began discussing children about 2 1/2 years ago. At that time, we started classes for foster-to-adopt, but soon found ourselves caught up in our own graduate programs and less focused on children. However, we did begin work on a nursery. Over the course of the next two years, we looked at several options to welcoming a child into our family, but were never able to complete any program or afford any alternative. However, the nursery was finished last year. We didn't know how we would become parents, but we "just knew" we would become parents. As it turned out, we became daddies not because we went through some program to "find" a child, but because a 3-month old baby boy and his mommy "found" us. We were approached privately by a virtual stranger. And, as a matter of faith - we believed it would happen. Call it faith. Call it luck. Call it random chance. But our son is without a doubt the BEST thing that has ever happened to us.

6. Reality TV can easily become as addicting as those tortilla chips with a "hint of lime". There are very few reality tv shows that I don't find entertaining (ok, not a big fan of any MTV reality shows other than the old Real World and Road Rules stuff). With summers off, husband and I really enjoy Big Brother....but my absolute favorite reality show may not "technically" fall into the "reality" category...I am a "Ghost Hunters" fanatic. I certainly would call myself a skeptic when it comes to the paranormal, but for some reason I can't get enough of this show! But since I am the only one in my household who will watch this program, I have had to broaden my reality television palette....I am looking forward to watching my second episode of "The Biggest Loser" tonight, I can't wait for American Idol to start, and have heard through the grapevine that a new Big Brother season is being added, slated to begin this February. And don't even get me started on my non-reality favs....Lost, NCIS, Pushing Daisies....then there are the shows no longer on...Will and Grace, Reba, Friends, Frasier....What did I do before DVR???
*sigh* Perhaps I need help? Maybe I will find a reality show about a support group for tv watchers....

7. As a young elementary student, I was one of about 10 students in my entire school to participate in a weekend day-camp at the local university. During camp, we played all sorts of games and got to eat lunch with college students. It was a great experience, and a memory that I have held on to with fondness and pride. About 5 years ago, I was in the car with my mom, when during our conversation, I mentioned what an honor it was to have been selected out of my whole school to attend that weekend day-camp. My mom was silent for a moment, and then she burst into laughter. I was confused, so I asked her what was so funny. What she said next was worse than trying to tell me that there was no Santa (which there is!).... She explained that while, yes, I was indeed selected from my entire school to visit the local university, it wasn't exactly a "day camp." Apparently, some graduate students had observed all of the PE classes in my entire school, and from those observations had selected the 10 most un-coordinated students at my school to participate in a study. After gaining parental permission, the college students sent personal invitations to me and 9 of my fellow un-coordinated peers to the university, at which point they video taped us "attempting" to do things like play baseball, skip rope, and many other "fun games" - (why does the "Island of Misfit Toys" keep popping into my mind?) Mom then told me that, if I really wanted to remember it as a camp, then perhaps I should refer to it as "Coordination Camp"....You know, self esteem is really over-rated! ;)


There you have it. Seven random facts about me. Mission accomplished. Sort of.

BusyDad tagged me, so he is out. He also tagged Monica at "Ya...About that...", who in turn tagged Ohmommy at "Classy Chaos".... So, while there are a gazillion blogs out there I have yet to discover, I am only going to tag one person....But she is totally worth it! I am tagging Cindy from "A Day in the Life of Cindy"... She writes from the heart, and is very passionate about her beliefs.

I'm sorry it took so long to respond - but a special thanks to BusyDad for tagging me....I had fun!

His2Dads