one more candle & a trip around the sun.

I was trying to make a list of 39 things I wanted to do before I turn 40, but realized I'd never find enough things to put on the list. So, instead you get 39 things about me. I'm sure some of these will be repeats of things I've already told you.

1. My favorite color is blue.
2. I've lived in Redmond, WA; Seattle; Missoula, MT; and now Camas, WA.
3. I never thought I'd move away from my hometown. I always thought I'd raise my child in the town I grew-up in.
4. I really hope to move back to Seattle someday.
5. I'm overly sensitive. So much so that I annoy myself sometimes. I wish I didn't feel things so deeply.
6. I tend to run late, but I'm working on it.
7. I've had five surgeries, one broken bone, three trips to the ER and two rides in an ambulance.
8. I clean when I'm angry. Clean and cry.
9. Clutter kind of drives me crazy, but I tend to create a lot of it so I guess I can't complain too much. Let's just say other peoples' clutter drives me crazy. ;)
10. I spend far too much time in my head. Most days I don't know how to turn off the over-thinking of everything.
11. I have an older brother, Weston, who was born on the Fourth of July. He plays guitar, piano, and also sings. He is uber talented. He's also super smart. I'm very glad he is my brother. :) And he is super lucky to have his birthday as a paid vacation day every year. (It should be noted that I was due on the Fourth of July...)
12. I used to play the clarinet, flute, and piano.
13. In junior high the various bands at school recorded an album. Two years in a row. I am on vinyl, friends. :) And if you have a record player, I will let you take a listen.
14. I'm terrified of bees and wasps.
15. I used to spend money like crazy, thinking it would fill that empty place inside. It only took me me 38  years to realize no amount of buying stuff will fill that spot.
16. I'm stubborn. I want things my way, but then again who doesn't?
17. I don't do well with last minute plans. I need time to think about and "digest" the plans.
18. I'm a homebody. Not a party gal. I'd much rather hang-out on my couch watching TV or reading or cruising the web.
19. I didn't go to prom. I didn't go to any high school dances.
20. I'm pretty much exhausted all of the time. I partly blame my seizure meds. Feeling tired all of the time is mentally exhausting.
21. I have known my best friends from college since 1994. They are the best!
22. Getting older scares me. And watching my parents get older scares me even more.
23. After almost a year, I still think about Maggie every day. Oddly, having Sammy makes me think about Maggie more. I think I secretly (okay, so not a secret anymore) wish Sammy was more like Maggie.
24. I love chocolate cake, bloody Marys, and Italian food. Not all at the same time, of course. Though a slice of chocolate cake after a nice Italian meal would be just fine with me. And chocolate cake is the best breakfast meal.
25. I will never be a morning person. I love to sleep-in. I'm a night owl. Lately I've been staying up far too late, which is making the getting-up early a lot harder.
26. I tend to keep to myself. See #18.
27. I watch too much TV and don't read enough books.
28. My favorite job was working as a Program Coordinator for the UW School of Medicine Continuing Medical Education Office. I had the greatest manager! My least favorite job - receptionist at Puget Sound Energy.
29. I love the beach. I'll take a trip to the beach any day over a trip to the mountains. I haven't been to the beach since summer of 2010. I'm getting a little antsy to go again.
30. I don't know how to swim and I don't like seafood. I paired these two together because seafood does know how to swim. ;)
31. I'm not a get-up-and-go person.
32. I like to be on the outside edge of a group of people - for example, the back of the class or movie theater. I don't like to have a lot of people behind me. I like to be able to see as much of what's going on as possible. I also don't like to have my back to windows or doors .
33. I like it to be completely dark and completely silent when I sleep. I'm a light sleeper.
34. I think tanning beds should be banned. It's one thing for people to go outside and tan or get burned. It's another to take money from people to knowingly increase their risk of skin cancer. (Kind of how I feel about cigarettes, too.)
35. Five years ago today I had lunch with one of my best friends. It was the last time I saw her. I think about her every single day.
36. I really, really wish people would put down their phones and just drive.
37. I truly believe cell phones will be are the ultimate downfall of the human relationship.
38. I have never been to Hawaii or Disneyland, but I have been to Disney World.
39. I'm a little terrified of turning 40 next year. 

No photos, but a little Jimmy Buffet and Martina McBride for you to enjoy...Trip Around the Sun.