Jen tagged me for this fun little game (leastwise, I think I'm the only Rae she knows!).



HERE'S HOW YOU PLAY. ONCE YOU'VE BEEN TAGGED YOU HAVE TO WRITE A BLOG OF TEN WEIRD, RANDOM THINGS, FACTS OR HABITS ABOUT YOURSELF. AT THE END, YOU CHOOSE FIVE PEOPLE TO BE TAGGED, LISTING THEIR NAMES AND WHY YOU CHOSE THEM TO BE TAGGED. DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE THEM A COMMENT "YOU'RE IT" AND TO READ YOUR BLOG. YOU CAN'T TAG THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU. SINCE YOU CAN'T TAG THAT PERSON BACK, LET HIM OR HER KNOW WHEN YOU'VE POSTED YOUR BLOG SO HE OR SHE CAN READ YOUR ANSWERS.



I always have trouble with these things, not because there aren't weird or random things about me. We all know there are PLENTY of those. The problem is I'm always blathering about those oddities anyway, so finding NEW ones can be difficult. But, for you Jen, and the other 3 of you who still check in here even though I don't post nearly often enough, I'll give it my best shot.

1. I tend to think of myself as being sort of an extreme person, but whenever I take one of those personality tests, I'm always tied in at least 2 out of 4 categories. For example, in the Meyers-Briggs, my I/E (introvert/extrovert--do you recharge through social means or alone?) I tend to be just barely on the E side. For T/F (thinking/feeling--do you make decisions with your head or heart), I always tie. Some things require a lot of thought, others a lot of heart. S/N is my other big tie--sensing or intuition--do you relate to the world through your five senses or the sixth? I don't really get how you could tie on this one, but I do. The last set J/P (judging/perceiving--do you function by order and schedule or by disorder and spontaneity) has been ever evolving since my young adulthood. I used to be solidly J (order & schedule). But, truthfully, it was a coping mechanism. If I could force the world into my schedules and order (right or wrong, black or white), it was a much safer place for me to live. But, God has been hammering away at that attitude of mine since 1999! There's very little room for grace, for real love of people (who are sooooo totally grey!!!), for toddlers (!!!!!!), for improvement, for God himself in that world. I'm learning not only to be comfortable with grey, but to actually love it! Weird huh? I still slip up, but I like the more balanced (between J and P) me much better than the squarely J me. And, I have a hunch other people prefer it too! (Does this one count as like 4 or 5 random things about me?!)

2. When I was in the fifth grade, I knew a couple of other girls named Rachel, so I decided it was a boring name. My middle name is Anne and I knew no one with that name, so I asked everyone to start calling me Anne when I went to jr. high the next fall. My dad would constantly tell my friends that there was no Anne here when they would call our house! When I went to college, I decided I was done with "Anne" mostly because it was just a huge hassle to be one name publicly and another name with my family and to keep explaining to people that I wanted to be called by my middle name. However, when I got to college, the girl across the hall was a Rachel, and one of my quick friends was also a Rachel. So, I had everyone call me Rae!

3. I used to love to write "real" letters to my friends. Every Sunday afternoon through my college years and a couple years even after that, I would gather all my mail and all my stationary and write real letters to people. I usually tried to send at least one letter that wasn't a response to a letter in my hand. I wish I still did that. I hardly ever get "real" letters anymore--mostly, I think, because I NEVER write them!

4. Relatedly, I really like my own handwriting. I think it's very pretty. AND, I used to do calligraphy with some regularity.

5. I like to read novels that are part of a series. That way, when I finish one book, I don't have to think at all about what I'll read next. I really like historical fiction, but I'll read a lot of different things. Right now I'm in a series of "Amelia Peabody Emerson Mysteries." They're very dramatic and over-the-top, written as a set of journals now being published. Amelia and her family are archeologists/Egyptologists at the turn of the last century. They're constantly involved with thwarting criminals/murders or fending of the attentions of such folk. It tickles me that Amelia has exaggerated views about pretty much everything (sounds kinda familiar, ya know). I also love that they're very clean and that she is THOROUGHLY in love with her handsomest-of-men husband. She still thrills when her husband is digging for mummies with his shirt off and they find every opportunity to...make the most of their alone time. It's inspiring!!!

6. I love Ebay. If you compliment anything in my home or anything my kids wear, be prepared for the enthusiastic reply: "I got it on Ebay!"

7. I love cookie dough so much more than cookies! (I think you might have known that already....sshh!)

8. I had a stalker in college. It was kinda eerie. He was the best friend of a guy I was sorta dating at the time. He told me that if he just hung around long enough, I would eventually realize what a great guy he was, and then we'd get married (gag me with a spoon!). He had a dream about a blonde ponytail hanging over the arm of a couch--that was his confirmation that I was the one. Creepy. He told me he was going to commit suicide because I refused him and then hung up the phone. Yipes. He didn't, in case you were starting to care about him.

9. Aaron recently decided that I tricked him into marrying me by representing myself as much more outdoorsy than I really am. The thing is I must have tricked myself too because I really thought I was pretty outdoorsy. Hmmm.

10. In college (remember how I told you I was very black and white?), I had long, long hair, I told my mom I wasn't going to kiss another boy until it was the one I was going to marry (and I didn't--he wasn't quite my husband yet, but we were engaged), and I seriously, seriously, seriously considered whether or not I should be wearing a headcovering in church.

So, there you have it. Was that weird and random? It wasn't that hard, so I fear I failed you (hmm, that's revealing too, isn't it?)

Now, 5 nominations...Tarah, Jamie (Battle Station), Kamille, Tanya (aeiour.blogspot.com), Stephanie (I know you just brought Marcus home--maybe you want to tell us funny things about him!). Go to it, girls!