100 Things About Me

I wrote this post last night. Unfortunately when I came to publish it all my numbering disappeared and I didn't have time to redo it. You may notice I was complaining about not receiving a phone call from my husband. It never came through. Unfortunately I woke this morning to read that one Australian soldier had been killed in Afghanistan and two seriously injured. When an incident like that occurs the communications network is shut down to ensure that the families of the casulties are the first to know. I hope to speak to my husband tonight, but I have had an email to say he is safe.

Moments like this really make you think. I am so sorry for the families of those killed/hurt. And yet, I am so grateful that it is not my loved one. Feeling like this gives me a lot of guilt, and the only way I know to deal with it is to pray for the families affected and those injured and killed. I don't suppose there is a lot else anyone can do - except pray that the wars end soon and all our remaining service men and women can come home safely.

Anyway, on to a more cheery topic.....here are a hundred facts about me. Current at 10 pm last night!

1. I am an only child.
2. I went to the same school for 12 years.
3. I did all 14 years of my school education at girls’ schools. I do not think this has negatively impacted me in anyway, despite the rude comments some people make about this kind of education!
4. I loved school. My favourite day was Heather Lamont Day – a craft and performing arts day held once a year.
5. I think I still abide by my school motto, ‘per ardua ad alta’. It means “strive for the highest”.
6. I have an Economics degree.
7. I graduated with first class honours.
8. I did a study abroad at a college in upstate New York. My time there was the highlight of my university experience.
9. I am originally from Western Australia. My family still lives there.
10. My Dad’s side of the family were founding settlers in Western Australia. My (7) Greats Grandfather arrived from England on HMS Sulphur on June 29, 1829. Foundation Day was June 29, 1829.
11. My Mother is from New Zealand.
12. I have dual citizenship because of this.
13. My husband and I married young at age 22.
14. My husband is my best friend.
15. My husband and I were high school sweethearts.
16. My husband is the only man I have ever dated.
17. My favourite bible verse is “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11.
18. I love dark chocolate.
19. I also love bread and butter pudding.
20. I do not like seafood or mushrooms. I will not eat either – or anything that has touched them.
21. I do not like my foods to mix. I try to keep them separate on my plate.
22. I can not stand the smell of tuna.
23. I am currently waiting for my husband to phone me from Iraq. We will have 10 minutes to talk when he finally gets through. I wait all day for this – it is definitely the highlight.
24. I just bought my first item of clothing from Ebay. It is J Crew and I am concerned I might not have got the right size, as Australian sizing is different to American sizing. I guess time will tell.
25. I still do ballet and Irish dancing. Some people think this is strange.
26. I should be sitting my Royal Academy of Dancing grade 7 ballet exam in October.
27. I play the piano.
28. I can sight read the treble clef. The base clef takes more effort.
29. This is unusual as I played the Euphonium for 8 years at school. All music for the Euphonium is written for the base clef.
30. I love to read. I get through about 3 or 4 books a week. Most of my reading is done on public transport.
31. My don’t think I have a favourite book but I have a number I like very much.
32. I wish I spoke a foreign language. Unfortunately all I have is school level German.
33. I am really close to my parents. I speak to them at least once a day.
34. I am very indecisive.
35. However, I am extremely organised. This does not work well when you are married to someone in the military. With the military, you can not plan on anything.
36. I like lists.
37. I like to wear hair ribbons. At 24 I am not overly sure this is always appropriate.
38. I am terrible at parallel parking. This is a problem as most parking in Sydney is parallel parking.
39. I also do not like to park turning to the left, or reversing.
40. I enjoy writing. Not creative writing, but writing essays.
41. I have two small dogs – Abby and Monty. Both are Maltese X and both were rescued from the pound.
42. I have very fine, straight hair. It drives me nuts because it does not keep any body. I do like the fact it is naturally blonde.
43. My favourite colour is pink.
44. I prefer to wear skirts and dresses to pants or shorts. When I was a child I flatly refused to wear jeans.
45. I can be very stubborn. See previous.
46. I have blue eyes like my Dad. My Mum has green eyes.
47. I am more of a cat person than a dog person, but as my husband is highly allergic to cats we have dogs.
48. I miss my cat and dog which stayed in Perth with my parents. I think my cat feels like I abandoned her.
49. I moved to Sydney to take up a graduate position. My husband managed to get posted here when we got married.
50. When I open a packet of medication, I like to work from one end to the other. My husband thinks I am slightly OCD.
51. Nuts and liquorice are the only foods I will eat that my husband will not.
52. I like the cold. You can dress for warmth but not always for coolness.
53. I like having nice writing paper.
54. I prefer hand written correspondence to email.
55. I get nervous speaking on the telephone.
56. It really annoys me when people don’t acknowledge gifts – particularly those sent through the post.
57. After 12 years of wearing a green uniform there was a phase where I could not stand the colour.
58. I love wicker baskets.
59. I sometimes wish I had been born earlier as I love the fashion of the 1950s.
60. I am slightly baby obsessed at present.

61. I hope that I can stay home when I have children.
62. I used to do speech – or elocution if you prefer – exams when I was at school.
63. I have a very quiet voice. People often complain that they can’t hear me. This is the reason my Mother put me in speech and drama classes.
64. I am still waiting for my husband to phone. He is 76 minutes late. I am concerned the communications network might have been shut down at his end.
65. It annoys me when people don't keep left on escalators. I suppose if I was American it would annoy me if people didn't keep right.
66. I believe somebody hears my prayers.
67. I do not particularly enjoy my work. I do not think it is a bad job, but it is not right for me. I am hoping to find something that is a better fit in the future.
68. I start work very early – 7:30am. I asked to do this so I can finish early. Usually I can leave about 4:15pm. Unfortunately it means getting up at 5:45am.
69. I am currently letting the dogs sleep on the bed. My husband does not approve.
70. The dogs will have to unlearn this habit before my husband gets home.
71. My favourite version of Little Women the movie is the 1949 one with Elizabeth Taylor in it.
72. I love watching musicals.
73. Among my favourites are “Thoroughly Modern Millie”, “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” and “Meet me in St Louis”.
74. I can not stand to have marks on my clothing. I was really obsessive about this as a child.
75. I drink lots of tea. I do not drink coffee.
76. I am obsessed with Chai Lattes at present. The lady who mans the coffee machine at the cafeteria at work knows my order!
77. I do not like it when people are late for engagements. I think it shows a lack of respect for other people’s time.

78. Eating golden toasty warm crumpets, drinking tea and reading are my favourite things to do on a cold, wet wintery day.
79. I like to bake. Biscuits and cakes are my favourite things to make. I try not to eat them too much though. My husband's absence has really hampered me in the baking regard as I have lost my chief consumer.
80. I eat a lot of fruit.
81. I love summer fruit including berries, apricots, grapes and plums.
82. For winter fruits, oranges are my favourites.
83. I am a bit of an Anglophile. I think this is a result of my Nanna’s influence.
84. My best friends are friends from school.
85. I love my three year old niece (cousin’s daughter). She has such a big personality and makes me laugh. She also loves to give hugs and I love getting cuddles.
86. I lost my teddy bear in America when I was 6. The owners of the hotel found it in the bed and shipped it back to me in Australia. It took 3 months.
87. My teddy bear still sits on our bed. Her name is 'Teddy'.
88. I have a fondness for bed linen.
89. I like embroidered table cloths.
90. My favourite flowers are tulips. I was very disappointed to not be able to have them in my wedding bouquet because they were out of season.
91. I like to have porridge (oatmeal) for breakfast. I serve it with walnuts, apple or banana, and brown sugar.
92. I think that whether or not people agree with us (Australia) having a troop presence in Iraq and Afghanistan they should support the soldiers that are there. I am proud of my husband.
93. I can’t wait for my husband to come home. He will be back in 3 months.
94. I only have 6 weeks before I see him for his R&R. We are meeting up in Malaysia.
95. I believe that when people move to another country they should accept and embrace the values it upholds.
96. I am having strawberries, Greek yoghurt and granola for breakfast tomorrow. I have to go and chop up the strawberries in minute.
97. I am not very good at sports. I think that this might have something to do with me not liking to perspire. My Nanna always said “pigs sweat, people perspire”. I think of this when I hear someone say they are sweaty. It makes me laugh.
98. I like watching Oprah so much that I tape it every day and watch it when I get home from work.
99. For relaxation I read detective stories. The kind with the nice clean murders….I just want to read about the detecting. My favourite fictional detectives are Mrs Marple, Poirot, Inspector Brunetti, Mma Ramotswe, Agatha Raisin, Daisy Dalyrymple, and Phryne Fisher.
100. I mowed the lawn for the first time 2 weeks ago. It was such a traumatic experience that I am never doing it again. Even if we only have a 2 metre square patch I am getting a professional in.