Today is my birthday. It is customary in the blog-world to do 100 things about yourself, but I don’t think I could come up with 100. Frankly, I’m just not that interesting. So instead I’ve decided to do 38, for every year I’ve been alive.

1.)Although I’ve lived in 5 different states I have never lived in the cities I love the most; Nashville, Boston & London

2.)When I was in third grade I had terrible reading comprehension and a pronounced speech impediment. The school told my mother they didn’t think I would graduate from high school. Thankfully, my mother recognized the failure in the system and not her daughter and didn’t tell me until after I completed Grad school.

3.)My only memories of living in California are falling down the stairs, eating strawberries out of the backyard and riding my “peanut” car around the cul-de-sac.

4.)My favorite kind of cake is birthday cake from the grocery store — not the fancy kind, but the cheap kind.

5.)I’ve had a reoccuring nightmare since I was about 10 that I’m running away from somebody but I can’t see where I’m going because there is a bright light shining in my eyes. To this day I can’t stand to squint because of that and always wear my sunglasses.

6.)Craig Schmidt had red hair and teased me mercilessly in elementary school. I still remember his name and I have always wondered what happened to him.

7.) When I’m stressed I eat. When I’m hurt I make jokes. When I’m tired I get grumpy

8.) Even though school was very hard for me I loved it. It was such a lovely, structured environment that I felt comfortable being there.

9.) I’ve spent my entire life trying to convince everybody around me – as well as myself – that I’m smart. I’ll let you know when I’m successful

10.) My favorite pair of jeans is from Old Navy and has two holes in the butt.

11.) I love buying pajamas. I love owning pajamas, but I always end up sleeping in one of David’s t-shirts with a pair of shorts.

12.) I love the smell of my kids’ breath – even when it stinks

13.) I hate peas, bats, and ham

14.) I grew up Jewish in an all Catholic community and cannot stand it when I feel somebody is being morally judgmental of me. As a result I was one class short of minoring in religion so I could always defend myself.

15.) If I hadn’t miscarried this last pregnancy I wanted to name the baby Jane Carolyn if it had been a girl.

16.) My car in college was a yellow Geo Storm – I LOVED that car. It had 113,000 miles on it when I had to give it up and I never loved another car until I got my mini-van last year.

17.) My first love was John. My biggest heart-break was Doug. But my soul-mate has always been David.

18.) I was one week away from meeting with a fertility expert to talk about in-vitro when I found out I was pregnant with Lucy

19.) I’m a terrible swimmer and I try really hard to hide that fact from my kids so they will learn to swim.

20.) I played flute for 8 years with private lessons, and for as good as I was, I always knew I had no musical ability.

21.) Mr. Klopshinski was my band director and I would like for him to know that I KNOW I was good enough to be moved up into Symphony band and you purposefully didn’t move me. You are an angry, bitter man. It was a good thing you retired.

22.) Even though I was not raised going to church I have prayed every day to God since I was in 6th grade. He has given me some of the best advice.

23.) Christmas, Halloween and Easter are my favorite holidays

24.) My scariest lifetime moments include; moving to Texas by myself, giving birth to Lucy, an emergency airplane landing from Austin to Dallas, and going to the bathroom for the first time after each childbirth (ouch!)

25.) I started drinking Diet Coke at age 16 and I pretty much drink one every day.

26.) I hate coffee and I don’t drink it

27.) I have never smoked and never tried smoking. I have also never tried drugs mainly because I cannot stand that feeling of being woozy, or out of control — taking drugs to GET that feeling seems so counter-intuitive to me.

28.) I took my first drink at 18 and the last time I got “drunk” was when I was 22. I never liked drinking and I had a very short-run of it in college. I rarely drink as an adult and I cannot even remember the last time I had a beer.

29.) I took Spanish classes for 5 years until my Spanish teacher started teasing me for being Jewish.

30.) Before I die I want to see Italy, I want to attend a Shakespearean play in the Globe Theatre, and I want to see Westminster Abbey

31.)I’m a terrible seamstress and an awful gardener. However, I’m pretty good cook – so it all works out

32.) I love chocolate chip cookies and can always eat them at any time day or night

33.) I’m flat-footed and sound like a duck when I run, as a result I never run.

34.) I love buying school supplies; highlighters, pencils, paper, books, etc – It’s my favorite errand to run

35.) When David travels I sleep with a giant Mag flash-light and the cordless phone. I figure this way I can always beat somebody senseless with the flashlight and if that doesn’t work I can call 911.

36.) I took riflery in college and got an A. I currently own a 22-caliber, bolt-action, semi-automatic rifle. I do not own any bullets.

37.) My fondest memory of my wedding was standing next to David and purposefully making the same flub in our vows so he wouldn’t be embarrassed.

38.) The best years of my life started when I turned 30. I may be disturbingly close to 40 but I’m not bothered about getting old, I only wish time would stop moving so fast. I want to relish these years a little longer.