Things About Me - Part 3

ANOTHER 25 THINGS ABOUT BRANDI

1. I have never worn braces or glasses.
2. I want to travel to Europe before I have a child.
3. Somehow I manage to look at the clock at 10:11 every morning.
4. When I was little, I loved to climb trees but was terrified of climbing down. We had a big weeping willow in our front yard, and I would climb way up to the top and then scream at the top of my lungs for my dad to rescue me.
5. I was never a big fan of chips and salsa until I started dating Aaron. I would eat it, but it was not nearly as important to me as other foods. But his family has salsa instead of blood, and I got used to it pretty quick. Now I love it and would choose it over almost any snack.
6. Cooking makes me really needy. I love to cook and try new things, but I so badly need validation of the things I make that I think I get annoying. I have a complex about being bad in the kitchen, so if I make something new I ask excessive questions. “Do you like it? Are you lying? Is it just okay? You can tell me.” But you better not actually tell me or I will be crushed.
7. I started college at a large state school, and transferred to a small private school after my first year. I gave in to the idea that it would be better somehow. Ironically, the friends I consider my ‘college friends’ are the girls I met at the big bad state school.
8. I hate the sound of a fork scraping a plate. It sends chills up and down my spine.
9. When I eat, I try to eat all my food evenly so I will end up with one bite of each food. At the end, I make an executive decision about which food was my favorite, and save that bite for last. If someone steals one of my last bites (AARON!) it is not pretty.
10. I moved to Nashville from Dallas in the summer of 2002. It took me a good 6-8 months to get used to this place and be able to say I like it. Now I love it and can’t imagine moving back. We have really made a home here and have friends that I would consider family. It’s hard to live so far away from relatives, but I love that our life here is truly ours and no one else’s.
11. I had four living grandparents and one living great grandparent until I was 22. I feel extremely lucky to have had them for so long, and to have lost them when I was old enough to understand. I don’t know how well I would have handled it if I’d been younger. I still have both grandmothers and a grandfather, and while this entry seems to be bragging on my ability to deal with their death, I know it will crush me when it happens, just like it did when we lost Granny and Pawpaw.
12. My name is Brandi An. I still have not quite forgiven my parents for giving me an airhead first name and a useless middle name. An with one N? You would think it would have tipped them off when the nurse wrote “(correct)” next to my middle name on my birth certificate because so many people tried to change it. But no.
13. I have had the honor of being a bridesmaid three times, in Kelley, Melanie and Angie’s weddings. I am way too excited about being in Steffanie’s wedding this coming April. I really love being in weddings and getting to stand with my friend on one of the biggest days of her life. I look forward to the other weddings I will be in, especially Chelsea’s, where I will get to choose my own dress and everyone else’s as well. My wedding wasn’t enough, people. I need to control everything.
14. In seventh grade, my best friends were Amanda, Shera and Jennifer. We wrote multi-colored notes to each other and had extensive code names for everything. I have since tried to read some of those notes and I have no idea what we are talking about.
15. In sixth grade, my teacher (Mr. Houser – boo!) called me out into the hallway. He asked me if I wanted to be enrolled in advanced placement classes in junior high. I told him no, because I wanted to be cool and honors classes were not cool. He never did anything else about it (like call my parents!) and I was in regular classes throughout high school. I feel like I really missed out and I’m still kind of bummed about that. I know I should have said yes, but he should have realized that an 11 year old girl should not have final say on her educational decisions.
16. I have been recognized as my mother’s daughter by my smile. People who know my mom but have never met me have approached me in public to ask if I’m Nelda’s daughter. This makes me happy and proud.
17. A jellyfish stung me at South Padre Island when I was 10.
18. When listening to music, I absentmindedly sign the first letter of each syllable in the lyrics. It’s a challenge when the song is really fast, but I’ve gotten pretty good at it.
19. I love to make lists. I love those lined pads that have a magnet on the back for the fridge. I make my list on that paper with an ultra fine point sharpie. If I am halfway through the list and I make a mistake, I start over rather than have a scratch out on my list.
20. Someday I would like to have a really great home office. I want really modern and funky supplies, personalized stationery, great furniture. I love post-its too much to use plain yellow ones forever! (“Actually, I invented a special kind of glue…”)
21. I love to dance but rarely dance in public. I would much rather watch and make fun of other people. This is why I don’t dance in public – I know what I would say about me if I saw myself.
22. I can quote almost any episode of Friends. Since my marriage, I am also able to quote Seinfeld with ease.
23. I have an unnatural love of magazines. Especially the September issues – they are the thickest and have great shopping information. I read them straight through, cover to cover. I don’t even jump with a story, I’ll just pick back up with I get to the designated ‘continued on…’ page.
24. I was never an animal person until Miles the Wonder Dog. The only other animal I ever liked was Mel’s dog Chelsea.
25. At North Texas I had a roommate named Lori. Lori played the harp. There was a big harp in our dorm room, right in your line of vision when you opened the door. People would come in and say, “Oh cool! Who plays the harp?” And Lori would act all shy and say it was her. They would ask her to play, so she would play them a song. Except it was always the same song. I never once heard her practice anything else, ever. The girl knew ONE SONG, and used it to make everyone thing she was funky and exotic for playing the harp.

Don't forget to check out Chelsea. Tomorrow's installment of my list will be written by her, and her's by me. It will be interesting to see what 25 things about me she comes up with!