Number 1: Random Facts

1.  List 20 random facts about yourself.

1. I am 4'10"...short by most people's standards and often the recipient of inappropriate comments regarding my height.  The place I lived where I received the most comments/jokes about my height (besides elementary school)?  Southern Manitoba.  

2. I have one amazing husband and two beautiful and wonderful children.

3. I used to ski or snowboard every winter.

4. I played soccer in high school and Bible college and, while I never felt I was much good at it, I got the impression that I was a bit of a threat to the other team.  If nothing else, at least I was fast and fearless :P

5. My first "real" job was working at a scrapbooking store in my hometown while I was in high school.

6. When it comes to money, I am a saver.

7. It drives me crazy when my house is messy, but with two kids and a husband, I've learned to let go and not let it bother me so much. It drives me equally crazy to feel like I'm cleaning 24/7 with nothing to show for it because it gets undone as fast as I clean. Some days letting go works...other days I feel like I'm going crazy constantly tripping over things and it's only a matter of time before I go on a cleaning rampage and see how much I can get done in the next 30 minutes.  The real test is when people come over.  I desperately want my house to be clean before anyone else enters but I've also been letting go of this one.  What you see is what you get, people.

8. I learned to crochet from my mom when I was in elementary school...probably 5-6 years old.

9. I have an older sister and a younger brother.

10. I lived in the same town from kindergarten to grade 12 (but no longer than that).  I still consider that my hometown.  It's nice to have a place that's so familiar and where I recognize so many faces, even after having been gone for the last 10 years.

11. I love walking, especially when the weather is beautiful and I have some nature to look at along the way.

12. I took piano lessons from grade 4 until grade 12, always with my aunt who was the best teacher ever.  I got my grade 8 and taught some young girls for a few years when we lived in Manitoba.

13. The best job I ever had was at a lumber yard in Altona, MB.  I worked with friends, had a LOT of freedom in my hours and in the work I did, and it was actually work I enjoyed.  I needed to be organized and there was a fair amount of problem solving involved.  It suited me perfectly.  

14. The worst job I ever had was at a book printing company.  I was an accounts payable assistant and receptionist.  It was full of people telling me what to do and how to do my job.  There were constantly people looking over my shoulder (either literally or by monitoring my computer usage or double checking my work).  I had zero say in anything and got all the jobs that nobody else wanted to do.  I felt like a monkey who was paid to just get the job done and not use her mind.  That is not me.

15. I feel stifled when people put me in a box and think they have me all figured out.

16. I love houseplants.  I used to not be able to keep anything alive, even ivies and ferns.  Now I'm doing much better with them, though my Christmas cactus is looking a little sad these days...

17. I spend most of my time wearing socks and slippers (or socks and shoes outside).  I don't love sandals.  Maybe it's because I hate having dirty feet.  Or maybe because I spent a few years as a child in a country where there were these bugs called "peekays" (sp?) that would bury themselves into your feet between your toes if you went barefoot.

18. I like to make things with my hands...but I'm not great at getting things perfect like the corners matched on a quilt top.  That's why crocheting is great for me!  I can take things apart over and over again until they're right and haven't lost anything but time.

19. Sweet or salty?  Sweet.  Though if you mix sweet and salty in things like kettle corn and salted taffy...THAT is amazing!

20. I am NOT a morning person.  I admit, if I am woken earlier than I should be (pre-8am) and have to deal with something like, oh I don't know...grumpy kids? I have zero patience.  Zero.  Nathan can attest to this.  If you want to see mean and grumpy Niki, wake me up early, be super cheerful and expect things from me.  Like smiles and conversation.  Not going to happen.  When people ask me first thing in the morning how I slept, I usually respond with, "I don't know, I'm not awake yet." I've gotten better since having kids but boy...some mornings are TOUGH around here! :)