I was inspired by other bloggers lists of 101 things about themselves to create one of my own. So here goes.
1. I am the oldest of 7 children
2. My husband Bob is the youngest of 9 children.
3. Most of my friends and family describe me as a workaholic but I take that as a compliment.
4. Unmotivated people bug me.
5. I can rationalize almost anything.
6. My father is a wonderfully gifted artist. He sculpts, paints, illustrates, makes jewelry, and can build anything. He has illustrated children's books, and once had an exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago.
7. During his exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago, I had my first run in with fame. Ted Shackelford (Knot's Landing Star) was in the museum looking around right near me. I was about 13 at the time and Knot's Landing was huge then. I remember he was very tall. Anyway, this began a string of star encounters for me.
8. I was in the same bathroom with Marilu Henner at The Water Tower Place in Chicago when I was in high school.
9. I sold a McCoy planter to Jennifer Jason Leigh at the Sandwich Antiques Market in the late nineties. She was very quiet and reserved, but very nice.
10. I sold a very elaborate vintage bed to a dealer from California who went on to sell it to Jack Nicholson. I then went thru a very cheesy period where I was known to say that "Jack Nicholson sleeps in my bed."
11. Bob and I were shopping at the Joe Ley Antique Mall in Louisville, Kentucky about 10 years ago and Bruce Springsteen was so close to me I could have touched him. I resisted the urge which for me was pretty good since I am a long time fan of "The Boss."
12. Cindy Crawford did some shopping in one of my stores. She is from DeKalb.
13. I have sold hundreds of items over the years to set decorators to be used on movie sets which makes movie watching even more fun.
14. One of my younger brothers was a child actor.
15. I met Shirley Maclaine when I went out to visit my brother on location in Spokane Washington. I was 22 at the time. I walked up to her and she looked deep into my eyes and said...."you must be Colin's sister."
16. On the same movie set my mom used to watch Jeopardy with Teri Garr in her trailer and I thought that was pretty cool at the time.
17. My addiction to diet coke started when I was sixteen years old.
18. I have tried at least twice a year for the last 15 years to quit Diet Coke, but my attempts always end in failure.
19. I have a bad habit of leaving two thirds empty Diet Coke cans all over the place at work and at home Hansel and Gretel style.
20. I am super absent-minded. And have self-diagnosed myself with ADD.
21. I have to work for myself because I am sure no one else would have me. Here are some reasons why...
22. I hate being told what to do.
23. I make decisions and then rapidly and sometimes for reasons no one but me could understand, change my mind and go in a completely different direction.
24. I might want to work 19 hours straight one day and then not at all on other days if my "mojo" isn't working.
25. I believe strongly in trusting my gut and going with the flow. This isn't conducive to following plans or schedules.
26. I am hyper sensitive to the placement of items in a room, and often find myself mumbling about "bad flow" as if I were a feng shui expert.
27. I have never studied feng shui.
28. I get bored extremely fast.
29. I have wanderlust.
30. I am very dramatic and I often laugh loud and uncontrollably in public and private situations.
31. I love being around funny people. Unfunny people please move to the back of the line.
32. My biggest pet peeve is cheap people. I don't mean frugal.....I mean ungenerous and stingy and just good ol' cheap.
33. Quirky people interest me so much more than those that often get described as "practically perfect."
34. I am terrible at grammar and punctuation.
35. In life and on paper I am one long run on sentence.
36. I can remember what someone bought from me at a flea market 10 years ago, but I can't remember the name of someone I met five minutes ago.
37. I learn visually.
38. I am an Aquarius.
39. I was born on Ground Hog's Day.
40. I don't consider myself to be a very good boss because I am terrible at managing people.
41. I would describe my management style as....."Live up to your fullest potential please."
42. I consider myself very lucky that I have many self-starters on my work team. Yea.
43. One day recently my sister Courtney(who has worked with me for 8 years) said to me, "I am committed to excellence." I almost did a happy dance right on the spot.
44. Courtney is six years younger than me.
45. I thank God every day for Courtney.
46. I don't like my middle name. It's Mary. I always wished it was Elizabeth.
47. I pressure my husband constantly to sign up for the Amazing Race. Not with me. I want him to do it with Courtney. They would be the first brother-in-law, sister-in-law team. Bob would make for the craziest t.v. watching ever. The ratings would go thru the roof.
48. If Bob and I did the Amazing Race Together it would not end well. Two Chiefs....no Indians.
49. I hate chit chatting on the phone. I avoid it at all costs.
50. I used to read voraciously...now I am lucky if I finish 5 books in a year.
51. I once read Gone With The Wind in 2 days at the age of 11 on a dare.
52. If someone tells me that I can't do something then I definitely WILL do it.
53. I love to look at beautiful gardens and would like to have one....but I don't think it's ever going to happen because I hate getting dirty, can't handle bugs and mosquitos, and too much heat makes me sick. I have Victorian sensibilities.
54. I have been hospitalized for sun poisoning.
55. I had twelve artificial inseminations, one ectopic pregnancy, and a failed in-vitro procedure by the time I was 30.
56. I love music....many different types. It makes me happy on days when nothing else can. I can't imagine a road trip without it.
57. I believe that road trips are good for the soul.
58. One time I got in my van in Illinois and didn't stop till I reached Omaha Nebraska.
59. Small town people, architecture and diners all make me happy.
60. Discovering a great diner in a small country town is like finding a slice of heaven on earth.
61. There is no one I'd rather travel with than my husband Bob. He has been driving us around for the last 18 years and I have loved every minute of it.
62. We have furnished most of our hundred year old home with our road trip treasures.
63. I started buying vintage clothing at the age of 13, and I started selling it in my early twenties. I still buy and sell it now along with many other things.
64. One of my favorite gifts is the family cookbook my mom made for me and all of my siblings. Great treasured recipes with anecdotal stories to go along with it.
65. I was going to major in theater in college but switched to English and then didn't pursue either avenue. I became an antique dealer/ gift store owner instead.
66. My favorite song and personal anthem is "Don't Fence Me In" as sung by Willie Nelson.
67. I own about 20 Willie Nelson cd's, and some of his cd's I've bought 2 or 3 times because I've misplaced them temporarily.
68. I won my 5th grade spelling bee.
69. I am not into jewelry at all. I only wear my wedding ring.
70. My earliest "star crush" was on Shawn Cassidy and my most recent crush is on Anderson Cooper.
71. I once had a first and last date with a very nice guy named Steve, and he threw up all over the table at Ed Debevic's Restaurant in Chicago. The diner was fun but the barf kind of put a damper on the evening.
72. I've had a drink thrown dramatically in my face at a party by a jealous girl.
73. The outfit I had on when I met my husband to be was a red mock turtleneck and a black leather mini skirt. Hey it was the 80's.
74. I do not like animated films or cartoons at all.
75. I love wacky French films.
76. I never watch a movie twice.
77. My current favorite t.v. program is No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain.
78. My favorite comfort foods are macaroni and cheese and meatloaf.
79. Favorite sweets are homemade chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter m&m's.
80. I do not check my email as often as others think I should.
81. I have gone weeks without checking phone voice mail.
82. Consequently, I have been told that it's nearly impossible to reach me.
83. I disagree. You just have to know how to work my system of communication.
84. I much prefer intimate gatherings over big parties and events.
85. I took one of those career diagnostic tests a few years back for fun, and it said I would be a great private detective. I thought that was great because when I was in 5th grade I spent an entire summer pretending to be Harriet The Spy.
86. I'd love to live near the ocean some day.
87. When I got married I told my bridesmaids to pick out their own dresses. So they each had a different dress and I thought that it was fabulous.
88. I hate conforming to "norms"
89. I had my first job at age 11 and haven't stopped working since.
90. I believe that you are only as good as your word.
91. I thank my lucky stars every day that my husband thinks I am charming and funny.
92. I wish that Minneapolis wasn't so far from Chicago.
93. Our dearest friends live in Minneapolis.
94. My favorite weekend activity is "putzing."
95. Currently I'm saving my pennies for.....another trip to Paris.
96. Favorite quote....One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. Helen Keller
97. I wash all of my dishes completely by hand before running them thru the dishwasher.
98. I have terrible motion sickness.
99. I can't sleep at night because I always have so many new ideas swirling thru my head.
100. I am proud of myself for sticking to this 101 list. It was a challenge for me to focus on one thing for a couple of hours.
101. I can't live without......my friends, my family, and a super skinny guy named Bob.
The end.
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