TGIF! It’s been quite a week. The boys were off for two days, I missed out on an 8 mile run because I took a 2 hour nap, and my parents are here visiting. Busy, busy. But it’s Friday and that means a beer and some relaxing with the family. It also means Friday Five with Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia. Today’s topic is “5 Things about me”, which, after blogging for almost 7 years, I think I’ve shared pretty much everything I’m willing to share: here, here, and here ;o) So, I’m following Courtney and sharing 5 things about my childhood.
1. My dad was military, so we moved a lot growing up. I’ve lived in 9 states and visited all 50, most of them before I was out of high school. But I didn’t fly for the first time until I was in high school. Yes, that means I drove across the US many times, usually in the back of my parent’s shag rug paneled van reading a book. I was definitely a child of the ’70s.
2. I played volleyball in high school. Our coach was totally old school and we worked out by pushing cars across the parking lot and doing drills up the steps. To this day, a) I wonder how I never hurt myself and b) I wish I could be that fit again. (No, I won’t be out pushing my car around the block.)
3. I was born with blue eyes and they stayed blue until about 8th grade. Now I have green eyes. Beer Geek has brown eyes. Both boys still have bright blue eyes. It’ll be interesting to see if they keep them.
4. I’ve loved to read ever since I got good enough at it to read chapter books. I have read 1000s (millions?) of books in my life, most of them when I really should be sleeping. I’d like to get back in the habit of reading every night before bed, but I’m pretty sure I’d never actually go to bed.
5. Growing up, my parents always tried to learn to cook the local cuisine. This meant everything from meat and potatoes to New Mexican (which is different from both Tex Mex and Mexican) to creole. I’m convinced that’s why I’ll at least try just about anything and I like most everything. Except beets. I’ve never met a beet dish I like.
How about you? Tell me something about your childhood!
We’re a military family, so I understand moving. I think it’s pretty cool that your parents would try the local cuisine! and no Beet? girl, you are missing out– I love pickled beets-LOL Happy Friday- Enjoy your weekend!
Every time I say I don’t like beets, people try to get me to eat their best beet dish. Nope, still don’t like them. I eat nearly every other veggie, so I don’t feel too bad about it.
Wow, you worked out by pushing cars in high school?! That sounds crazy lol. I used to read a lot too and need start that habit again.
I had some amazing quads in those days LOL.
I think exchanging an 8-mile run for a 2-hour nap sounds amazing. Sometimes we’ve gotta listen to our bodies, right? 🙂
It wasn’t actually intentional, but it was a good nap. ;o)
I hope someday I can say I have been to all 50 states! I read a lot until I had kids and now I am lucky if I read two books a month! sad
The only time I read more than 2 a month now is when I skimp on sleep. I actually just gave up Kindle Unlimited because I wasn’t reading enough to make it worth it.
I didn’t know eyes could change color as you grew up, that’s pretty interesting. Neat idea of your parents to cook local foods, what a great idea to help you embrace the experience.
I still cook some of my favorite dishes. It adds variety to our usual routine.
Interesting, I had no idea eye color could change “later” in life. Alot of my childhood memories include the summer swim team.
I’m a voracious reader too! I have to take breaks from social media a few days a week so I can just read whatever book I’m into. And I’ve missed many hours of sleep from being sucked into a book and doing the “just one more chapter” game.
I have brown eyes and my husband has green. Both my boys had bright blue eyes but now seem more green to me..
I always found it interesting how some people’s hair colors and eye colors change when they grow up. In my childhood, I loved reading too! I would get tons of books from the library as a kid. I miss those days!
I love reading. I will grab my Kindle (or physical book) and read in bed as a way to wind down. I normally give myself at most an hour to read, then settle down. I have broken that rule on occasion though, mostly when I’m reading a mystery and I’m near the end. I have to see how it ends.
My eyes used to be really blue too and turned green. Pushing cars around, that’s kind of hilarious.
We didn’t have a volleyball team at our school but we always played at home! Your coach sounded intense! -M
It was crazy, but fun.
Yeah, beets are…blech. I don’t read as much as I did when I was young. I used to be a member of a book club (old school) and always had a stack of new reads next to my bed. My eyes feel tired at the end of the day now, eek…I’m aging.
I read a lot less than I used to – in part because I know that if I start a book, I don’t want to go to bed until I’m done.
I’m a stay up too late reading kind of girl too 🙂
Between moving and bad schools I went to 12 schools (including a year of home schooling) between preschool and college. It certainly made me adaptable!
Yes, I can handle change really really well LOL.
I never knew you played volleyball!
Great picture of you and your parents! So precious!
Thanks! I just love the patterns LOL.
love this! yay for military brats 🙂 i love the pushing cars stories. can you imagine if that happened today – it’d be on the local news and all the parents would complain 🙂 have fun with your folks!
So true. But man, it was an amazing workout.
Fun to read!! I grew up with a military dad, too and swore I would never marry someone in the military. Then I met Chris!! The difference is that he is in the Guard so we don’t move all the time:)
I always thought I’d move a lot as an adult, but my husband has worked for the same place for more than 25 years…
I was born about 20 minutes from the house I lived the rest of my life in until I was 22 and packed everything up to move to TX with my new husband. I really loved reading as a kid too and it’s something I do a lot of from time to time.
My 9 year old was born in our house and we have no plans to move until after he graduates college, so his life is completely different from my move all the time life.
Good for you for catching a two hour nap. That sounds wonderful.
It felt shockingly good (I don’t nap often because I usually feel worse after.) I guess I needed it.
The image of teenage girls pushing cars during volleyball practice makes me laugh out loud! Things used to be so different. 🙂
Pushing a car sounds insane! Can’t believe you had to do that!
That’s really neat about your eyes changing color. I was born with stick straight hair, but when I was 12 I got meningitis. I was in the hospital for over a week, and when I came home, my hair was wavy. It’s still wavy even after all those years.
Navy Brat here! 🙂 I loved moving to new places all the time, but now that I’m married and moved to my husbands home town, I think its super neat that he still sees people he went to preschool with! Totally foreign to me…
My 13 year old’s closest friend is from preschool. It’s so foreign to me even though I’ve now lived in the same house for 17 years.
Thanks for sharing. Pushing cars… now thats a cross training exercise to try, haha.
Love that you cooked and tried all the local foods.
I’m with you on reading before bed. I’m not sure I would sleep either. There are just too many great books out there… I didn’t fly anywhere either till I was 15. My parents are big proponents of driving everywhere. I don’t agree. 🙂
I loved reading all about you! I can’t believe you’ve visited all 50 states. That’s awesome! I love that family picture so much too. Classic. I love to read too, but haven’t made time for it lately. I miss it. 🙁
that’s so interesting your eye color changed!!