But last night, for no real reason, I couldn't sleep. So I crafted the following post while I got sucked into a T25 infomercial (hey, at 2:48am, choices are rather limited, and I love having those, "Yep, exactly. It does do that." moments when Shaun T and friends are showing off their results!) and wrote in my journal.
In no particular order, here are a few things about me! I'm sure you're just dying to know...
1. I was born during a blizzard.
We're talking roads closed, schools cancelled, businesses closed, state of emergency, please stay off the roads, BLIZZARD!
Fortunately, my parents made it safely to the hospital before the worst of the storm hit, and really didn't know just how bad it was until it was time for my Dad to leave and pick up my older sister. He tells the story of being the only car on the highway and finding it odd, but not knowing the local government had issued a decree for all non-emergency vehicles to stay off the roads. Guess he was a little preoccupied with other goings on and didn't catch the news.
My parents joke (at least I think it's a joke) that they were going to name me Blizzabeth--Liz for short. I'm glad they went with Amy!
2. I played softball from the time I was about 10 or so until I graduated from high school.
I was a Hawk, a Cobra, a Panther and a bunch of other random mascots I either can't recall or selectively blocked out. I was Coached by fathers of my friends, high school science teachers and a former college player. My parents always made it to games which I know wasn't easy on their schedules, but it meant a lot!
I "retired" my spikes and my glove years ago, hanging them on a nail in the basement at my parents house with the date and everything. The shoes are still there; the glove has come out a time or two. I still love making those catches, what can I say?
From the end of January (we actually landed in London on my birthday!!) until the middle of May, my friends and I lived the London life. We studied, we traveled, we ate (oh my did we eat!) and we drank...because we could! Incredible memories---what an understatement.
4. One of my best friends is someone I've never met.And that's not some philosophical "there are no strangers only friends you haven't met yet" line. This is an honest to goodness, real live person who lives in Ohio and with whom I spend 96% of my morning commutes talking. You know what? This bit deserves a blog post all its own...and it's coming. You'll have to wait for that one! Trust me, it's a great story!
5. My husband and I met on a blind date.
Yep! We're "that" couple. Fourteen years ago next week, as a matter of fact. The night before a big Wine Tasting event, a friend asked if she had permission to introduce me to "this guy I know." I went for it...with no expectations, really.
And I met Mark! His favorite part of the story isn't that I gave him my number at the end of the event (totally out of my character, by the way) was that I went home with my parents. Yeah...I went home. With my parents. Oye!! I was 23 and had just moved back to Pittsburgh from NC and was living at home temporarily!!! Stop judging. I did eventually buy my very own first home about a year later. So there! :)
While he liked to make fun of that, he DID call three days later. And three days after that, we had our first date. Ten years, one kiddo and another on the way later, here we are! Awe! Are you rolling your eyes at me!?
Worked for ESPN for about 5 years, selling radio advertising. Our entire sales team took a trip to CT---we took a freakin' bus!!---for some meetings. The bus...oh lord! It broke down twice on the way there, stranding us at a Love's truck stop (where the employees scream, "Welcome to Love's" when anyone comes through the door!) causing our team to be late to the meetings AND the butt of most jokes during the 2 day conference. It was kind of funny, but our GM was super ticked about it. I think that may have made it a little funnier to be honest.
Anyway, we did get a tour of the complex, met some personalities, shopped the swag and got to pose for pictures on the set of Sports Center. I won't lie; I was pretty geeked about it.
8. When I was 10 years old, I broke my jaw.
Which is ironic considering (A) how much I love to talk and (B) how much I love to eat. Both significantly hindered when your jaw is wired shut for 6 weeks (sure wish Shakeology was around back then!). No fun whatsoever. Also not fun? The way it happened. I was skipping--yes, skipping!--in my Grandparents' house and just slipped or tripped and landed on my face. Initially they said it wasn't broken, but the pain didn't go away, so we revisited the ER only to learn that it was, indeed, broken. Surgery and wires...good times! But I did write a poem about it and it was published (dork alert!) in some crazy book.
9. I have been employed by 3 non-profit organizations, including my current employer. First, The Western PA Caring Foundation for Children, then the Technology Council and now American Heart Association.
With the first, I ran our celebrity golf outing (what a hoot that was!) and visited area schools to help kids start their own chapter of the Caring Team (helping raise money for kids without insurance). I started the chapter at my high school, and I'm pretty sure it still exists---a zillion years later. That's cool.
The Technology Council job wasn't as cool, but I did have a lot of fun there and met some folks I'm still friends with to this day!
And Heart---you probably know that story already. I'm a FT Director of Development, working on our Heart Walk and helping companies establish wellness programs for their employees.
I'm also a Beachbody Coach, but you know that already, too--don't you? Please let me know if you want to learn more about that...I love, love, love Coaching and am always happy to answer questions about it or help you determine if it might be something you could also love (or love, love, love. Either way!).
10. I can get sucked into just about any show on HGTV and several on Food Network as well.And Abby will usually join me, even if we're not really watching it, but it's on in the background. As a result, she has taken up being The Pioneer Woman. She'll often recite entire shows, she asks for a knife with every meal because something must be chopped, sliced or diced and will describe herself to me as Ree does; "I'm a dancer, a kid, a t-ball player and a cupcake eater. Welcome to my frontier." I die!
So now you know a little more about me. Huh. I guess I could have simply gone into the About Me tab and updated it. Duh!! Well, I have to do that anyway--I never did fix the sideways picture of myself. Betcha I can do that now, don't you think?!
Thanks for being here...I appreciate you!
Always a fan of your writing! This post is a fave for me. Likely also for that chick in Ohio?
ReplyDeleteBet she's a real piece of work.
:-)