I Have A FFB!

The ubiquitious and seriously funny Vodka Mom gave me this cool FFB award.  I’m not going to post it, because I found out Little Brother has bookmarked this blog on his PSP.   And I'm going to pretend he's never seen That Word.  But, because it’s Vodka Mom, I’ll play along with the rules and tell you some trivia from my life.  I’ve been doing that all along, however, I’ll try to dig a little deeper.

1.  I learned to sail as a 13 year old, in a tiny lake that was adjacent to a country club in a small West Texas town that is virtually in the desert.  I excelled at it so much that the instructor let me teach for the next two years.  I loved sailing.  I miss that. (We still live in the desert.)
   
2. I met ThatManILove when he walked into a bible study I was hosting.  My first thought when I saw him was “Ooh.  He’d be fun to marry!”.  Seriously.  Who says that kind of stuff?  Later, I figured it had to be divine intervention, because I spent the next two years fighting against that very thing, then finally, said “Yes.”  And you know what? Whomsoever put that original thought in my lame brain was right.on.the.money.  We’ve had So Much Fun and he makes me laugh!
   
3. In high school, I was part of an acapella 4 person ensemble that won 1st in State.  I sang alto. And we rocked.
4. I started shooting sporting clays almost as a dare.  I was asked to help host yet another event, and I determined I wasn’t going to organize such without participating in the sport.  The first time I shot, I broke 57/100 targets, and I was hooked. It wasn’t long  before my score was exceeding the scores of several of my peers...and most of my peers are males.
   
5. I had a female red merle Aussie named Dane when I was pregnant with Elder Son.  She was the light of my life, and had a litter of 2 week old pups when she was unexpectedly killed. My son was due in less than a week, and I was so overwrought my family thought I was going to go into labor early.  Instead, I got a grip and raised 6 puppies to health. After that, I couldn’t give my heart to another dog...until Zack, some 23 years later.
   
6. I bought Zack the Wonderdog as a present for ThatManILove, who immediately went on a spiritual retreat.  While ThatManILove was on that retreat, Zack fell seriously ill, and I nearly lost him.  The vet treated him with IVs daily, and I took him to work with me.  I nursed Zack back to health - and we became very close.  ThatManILove still says Zack loves me more.  And I smile, because I know it's true.
   
7. My big brother died from cancer at age 39, when I was age 29.  I thought I was going to die with him.  I didn't know the Lord, and had no way to deal with my grief.  Looking back, this unresolved grief contributed hugely to my divorce from Elder Son's father.
8. As a single Mom, I would make early morning sales calls with my 5 year old son in tow, then take him to his school.  He loved going to work with Mom, and my customers loved him showing up early at their offices.  I really had no choice - the oilpatch opens early.  He was the coolest little kid, and took no crap from any of those men. He went with me until he was about 10 years old.  Looking back, that helped form the excellent reputation I now enjoy - and also helped mold my son into an excellent people person.
   
9. ThatManILove and I owned a drop-off EBay store franchise, and were developers for the same franchise for 1/3 of Texas.  I thought it was the greatest idea since sliced pie.  Turned out to be the biggest workhorse I’ve ever seen.  We finally called calfrope, closed the store, booking huge losses.  And ThatManILove loves me.
   
10. In that same Ebay business, I learned the internet killed the collectible business. Though once an avid collector, that business put that addiction to rest.  I don’t want my sons to have to divest themselves of my junk.  Except for a few sentimental items, we’re done with collecting a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g that doesn’t have eternal value.
    
11. In another life (before ThatManILove) I had acreage, horses and was involved in rodeo.  I don’t miss the rodeo, but I miss the rodeo people,  having horses and owning land.  I miss those things a lot. Especially the horses.  
    
12.  In the hard winter, I once put a newborn baby goat in my oven to try to save it, and keep it alive.  It died anyway, in my arms.  I still think about that sometimes.  It makes me sad.
    
13.  I was a tomboy growing up.  Not much has changed.  ThatManILove thinks I'm the perfect mix between girly-girl and tomboy, and he likes me just fine.
    
14. I didn’t wear makeup until I was 29 years old.  I just didn’t think I needed it.  That probably contributed to the excellent skin I enjoy today.  My husband still doesn’t think I need it.  Me, on the other hand, ...
    
15. Except for a company car, I’ve driven trucks or SUV’s for the last 25 years.  I’m just not a car person.  So shoot me.
    
16. I was a wild child (though my mom never knew it) when I was younger.  I loved doing stuff for shock value. Brother Scott and I could tell you some tales!
17. Every year, I would be the first one to water ski in our area.  The first weekend in February.  No wet suit.  Scott always thought I was so cool when I did that.  Looking back, I was an idiot.  But it was fun!
18. I broke my nose, laid it flat against my cheek, when I was a teenager.  I did it by doing a full gainer on our trampoline.  Had black eyes for weeks. And I was still cute.
19. First kiss?  7th Grade.  The guy was so short he had to stand on the curb to kiss me. At. The. Bowling. Alley.  I can't believe I just remembered that.  He was and is a really neat guy, though.
20. My best friend all through school was a guy.  We're still friends.  When our Mom died, he and his parents drove all the way to East Texas and stayed with Scott and I all day long.  That meant more to me than anything anyone else did for us.  I will never forget it!

Y'all feel free to do this if you want...all it did for me was spur more blog ideas!  Enjoy...and if you want to dig deeper, knock yourselves out.  If you want this award, POOF!! It is hereby bestowed upon your bloggy butt.  But you'll have to go snag the "actual" award from Vodka Mom, okay?

And you, Vodka Mom?  You're a heifer.  Have fun this weekend in the NY and get your childrens' books published!  We are praying for you!!