50 Things

1. I was born in New England.
2. I only have one vague memory of living in New England. It involves snow and tall trees.
3. My parents were not planning on having me.
4. They were drunk when I was conceived.
5. I turned out fine.
6. My father did not want to have children because he was afraid he would not be a good parent.
7. He changed his mind after I was born.
8. My mother always wanted a big family.
9. I have one younger brother.
10. My father is an oceanographer, so we always lived near a coastline.
11. Neither my brother nor I can stand seafood.
12. I grew one inch every year from sixth grade through my first year of college.
13. I am now 5’ 7”.
14. I ate (only) an orange for lunch every day from 8th grade through high school.
15. I never had a cold from 8th grade through high school.
16. My family moved to the Pacific Northwest when I was three.
17. We lived in a very white city.
18. I went to college in Los Angeles one year after the riots.
19. I was certain I would return to the Pacific Northwest when my four years of college were over.
20. I stayed in Los Angeles for fourteen years.
21. Living in Los Angeles changed me in some really good ways. It also made me more cynical.
22. I recently moved back to my hometown, husband and toddler in tow.
23. I miss L.A.
24. My first official boyfriend is now my husband.
25. We knew we were going to get married before we ever were engaged.
26. I wanted to propose. So did he.
27. On a beach in Malibu I asked him to ask me to marry him. He did.
28. My husband and I both changed our names to [first name] [my last name before marriage] [his last name].
29. My father-in-law has never forgiven us for changing my husband’s middle name.
30. I still miss my old name.
31. My husband and I met during college on a summer trip to Ghana.
32. We went to Ghana to work at a school.
33. My husband got to go back to Ghana last summer. I was jealous.
34. We discussed adoption while we were still dating.
35. I have an annoying medical condition that causes chronic pain.
36. It is not the reason we adopted.
37. It does make it tricky for me to conceive, carry, and birth a child.
38. I do not know whether or not we will have a child who is genetically related to us.
39. Most days I am okay with that.
40. I have a graduate degree in theology.
41. I have thought about pursuing a doctorate.
42. I love to read.
43. I hate to write.
44. I spent two years as a campus minister at a Southern California college.
45. I miss preaching.
46. I have two pet rabbits.
47. They live inside the house and use a litter box.
48. I hate competition.
49. I vote in every election.
50. I cannot stand the sound of other people chewing.