50 Random Facts About Me

Right, so I’ve been asked to take part in a little 50 Random Facts About Me challenge and because I’m always up for a challenge that doesn’t involve removing myself from the couch, I’m in! 

1. I was born in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1973 
2. I lived in Christchurch until I was 15, when my parents decided to move us (that would be mum, dad, my brother and I) to Brisbane, Australia.
3. So we moved here on 15 January 1989.  I was wearing a blue and white striped skirt and a white tshirt and cried for the entire flight from Christchurch to Brisbane.
4. I have a weird knack of remembering what I, and other people around me, were wearing on big days in my life.
5. I have lived in 22 houses in the 41 years I’ve been alive.
6. I’ve been to 6 different schools, 4 co-ed primary schools and 2 all girls high schools.
7. Surprisingly, I don’t cope well with change.
8. I announced to the world when I was 8 that I was going to be a teacher when I grew up.  And by world, I mean my large collection of barbie dolls that I had lined up in a row on my bed.  They were excellent listeners.
9. I still have that barbie doll collection. They’re all sitting in a fancy storage box that mum gave me when I was a kid.
10. I became a teacher and taught for 10 years, before giving up my career to become a stay at home mum. 
11. I’m very sentimental and have kept things like every letter my Grandma wrote me from the time we moved to Australia to when she passed away.
12. About a year before she passed away, Grandma gave me a box that had every letter I had ever written her in it.  
13. On the back of one of those letters, Grandma wrote ‘I think my dear might have met The One.’
14. She’s talking about Scott.  Obviously.  Would be a bit awkward if she wasn’t.
15. I first met Scott in a Brisbane pub called Her Majesties in 1994.  He called me Karen all night and I was a bit shocked to find myself semi-attracted to a bloke who was wearing white sneakers with jeans (hello Seinfield!) AND had a bit of a mullet situation happening.
16. Her Majesties is now an Irish Bar with free wi-fi.  I know this because Scott took me there for a beer on our last wedding anniversary.  Romantic.
17. Scott and I got married in 1997.  We were both 24.
18. It was what can only be described as a Big White Wedding.  Although it was well before Pinterest existed, so decorations were minimal and we drank out of champagne flutes (not a vintage mason jar in sight!)
19. My favourite flowers are tulips. 
20. I’ve always wanted to go to Paris, ever since I can remember.
21. Scott took me to Paris for my 40th birthday.  It was a surprise that I knew nothing about.  Turns out guys who have a thing for white sneakers and mullets are actually very thoughtful, loving, hard working blokes who excel at gift giving.
22. I am the only member of my family with curly hair.  Nobody knows where it came from.  I suspect the postman.
23. I get asked approximately once a week by randoms at the supermarket/dentist/wherevs if my hair is naturally curly.  
24. The answer is always “Yes” to which they ALWAYS reply, “Really?!  Gosh, you’re lucky.  People pay a lot of money for curls like that.”  To which I WANT to reply with, “Um, maybe in 1989.  But now?  Yeah, not so much.  I mean when was the last time you ever heard someone ask their hairdresser for a tight spiral perm just like that one Nicole Kidman rocked before she could afford a full time hair dresser to straighten her locks every day?”  But instead I politely smile and tell them my hair is the bane of my life and if I could, I would totally swap it for straight hair in a heart beat and isn’t it funny how we’re never happy with what we’ve got?
25. Animals freak me out.  In fact, pretty much anything that breathes and isn’t human scares the beejeezus out of me.
26. Sophie is desperate for a dog.  Please see above as to why we don’t have one.
27. I’m fairly certain Sophie will become a borderline crazy cat lady when she is older, due to Numbers 25 and 26 ruining her otherwise fairly carefree childhood.
28. I didn’t get my ears pierced until I was 19.  And that was only because my dipstick of a boyfriend at the time (not Scott.  Obvs) was going on an overseas holiday and told me he would bring me back diamond earrings. 
29. He bought me back a pair of shorts.
30. I threw both the earrings and the boyfriend out.  Not that we lived together.  Mum would’ve had a coronary on the spot if I’d have moved in with a boy before I married him.
31. I lived with Scott for 6 months before we got married.  I still don’t think Mum has worked that one out.
32. My parents have been married for 43 years.  I get my love of shopping and ability to talk under water with a mouth full of marbles from my Mum, while Dad has taught me that slow and steady always wins the race.
33. Dad won’t know what that last bit means, mainly because he’s not very good at anything cryptic, but he has spent the last 25 years running his own business, which he started in the garage of house number 15 and has steadily grown it to become something that is fairly successful.  
34. My 13 year old son is taller than me.  Although at 164cm and shrinking at a rapid rate, being taller than me is not hard.
35. My 9 year old daughter is happier than anyone you will ever meet.  Seriously.  She is always smiling, laughing and singing.  It’s a little bit infectious.
36. I can’t think of anything for number 36.
37. Typing ‘number 36’ reminded me that I am crap at Maths.  Fortunately, I only ever taught children in Prep and Year One back in the day, so I only really had to know how to count to 20 and add up to 50.  
38. One of my past students is on track to compete in the next Olympics.  I can stake no claim in this achievement whatsoever.
39. Camping and running are my idea of living hell.
40. Shopping is my cardio.
41. Although that’s getting harder now that online shopping is a thing.  Never have my fingers been so slender!
42. I have battled with my weight my entire life, although discovering I have a very dodgy thyroid about 12 months ago has made the battle somewhat easier and now that I’m taking daily thyroid medication, it’s a battle I’m slowly starting to win.
43. I am very hard on myself.  
44. I am a list maker, an organiser, a worrier, a perfectionist and a daydreamer.
45. I started this blog 3 years ago and was so worried about what people would think of it, I didn’t tell anyone about it for 2.5 years.
46. Writing this blog has taught me that worrying about what other people think is a complete waste of time.
47.  I am not afraid of public speaking, the dentist, letting go of shitty friends, telling people I love them, carbs, flying or wearing hot pink lipgloss.
48. Scott dying, spiders, the word moist, heights, only ever flying economy and not being able to filter my face on instagram are all things that terrify me.
49. Well ok, the last two don’t actually terrify me.  I threw them in purely for comedy purposes. Although I have to say, that my skin has never looked better since running it through a Valencia filter on a regular basis and the one time I was lucky enough to fly near the pointy end of the plane was quite possibly the best 15 hours of my life, so they’re definitely things I could get used to, should I ever be lucky enough to win lotto.
50. I totally believe in Karma, The Universe and Magic Mike.  I think everything happens for a reason and it amazes me how clever The Universe is at bringing people together.  Also, Channing Tatum is hot.

So there you have it.  50 random facts about me.  Care to share some of yours?