I tend to be an insanely private person. I reserve most of my quirks (and there are a lot) for my closest friends and family.  So, when my manager suggested writing posts this month that would help our readers get to know us, I seized the opportunity to really put myself out there.

So, here are some things that you may or may not know about me. (As an aside, she suggested a list of 25, but I am definitely NOT that interesting, so here is a list of 10).

1. I was a pageant queen. I competed in the Miss America system for several years as a young adult. During that time, I held five local titles, was both first and fourth runner up to Miss Connecticut, and won numerous awards. It is safe to say that everything I learned about being successful in life, I learned from competing in pageants.
2. I sucked my thumb until I was eleven. Embarrassing to say the least, it was not until I had an orthodontic device installed in my mouth that prevented me from being able to insert my thumb fully into my mouth that I finally stopped.
3. I am oddly good at guessing how many items are in a jar. I am not lucky by nature. I have never won a raffle. I have never won at gambling. Until this year, I had never won a game of Bingo. But, one contest that I have been oddly good at over the years, is guessing how many items (e.g. jelly beans, chocolate eggs, rocks, etc.) are in a jar. I do not have a strategy, I simply look at the jar and guess, but I have won at this a ridiculous number of times over the years. In fact, I guessed how many chocolate eggs were in a jar in a Facebook contest this week and won a gift card to a local store.
4. I still think about the girl who reached out to me when I looked sad in the hallway when I was in the ninth grade. The truth is that I was sad, and her reaching out made me feel really good. We did not go on to be fast friends, but it still made a lasting impression.
5. I am silently correcting your grammar. It’s true. I will not judge you based on race, creed, religion, sexuality, gender, parenting choices, etc., but if you do not have a good handle on the English language, that will drive me bonkers.
6. I had a vivid dream that I rode on Shamu at Sea World, and I believed it for years. One day, my mother heard me telling the story and died laughing. Apparently, that never happened. Not even a little bit. Not even close.
7. I am loving memoirs written by women right now. I love reading about the interesting lives and accomplishments of other women and seeing the world through their eyes told with their voice.
8. I performed in the Vagina Monologues when I was in college. I was so excited about the cause and the message that I forgot to give my mother and grandmother a heads up about some of the content. PUSSIES UNITE! Sorry, mom.
9. I played in a funeral home as a child. My mother was a hairdresser when I was growing up, and to make extra money, she would do the make-up and hair of the deceased, and often times, she took me with her.
10. I love spicy foods. If I go for Thai, I am asking for at least 3 stars, and if I am buying chips, it is almost always going to involve salsa or be of the Flamin’ Hot variety. While most women stay clear of spicy foods during pregnancy, it was all I craved with my second baby, which may or may not explain his spicy little personality.

Truthfully, this exercise was pretty fun.  It helped me remember that I am whole person, not “just a mom” or “just a wife.”  Tell me something fun about you.