Seven things you didn't know about me

How did you happen to move so many times by age 15? Were your folks in the military? 

Way to go on the 12 years. I'm 14 days :)

HI Keith, do you still do weight training.  I plan to get started after my wrist heals (I broke in on Mike's & my anniversary Nov. 7)

1.  When I was a little kid (under 4), I would refer to myself as shyboy.  Like when I would walk up to your table at a resturant after sneeking away from my parents to ask what you were eating and if I could have some.

2.  I am wildly devoted to my family.  Loyalty is a big deal to me, which is why I would rather deal with getting my grandparents to the airport almost anything else.

3.  I have mad baseball skills.  Rather, I had mad baseball skills.  I have not played organized ball in years but I still love watching any game I can.  I will watch the college world series.

4.  Speaking of sports, I am a sports geek.  Not enough to listen to sports radio all the time (I got burnt out on that), but I do have to limit my time on ESPN for peace at home.

5.  I was a student liaison to the board of trustees at Oakland University.  That was a VERY cool experience.  Few classes were as helpful as that experience was.  It is amazing at what it takes to run healthy public university in this state.

6.  Oh yeah, the sports thing.  I was on the golf team in high school.  No, I was not good, but it was fun.

7.  My dream is to one day start a retreat center on the family farm.  I have the castle designs and everything.  The cherry and apple trees will be replanted, I will tap the sugar maples for syrup and use this as a way to keep the farm in the family for another 175 years!

A friend of mine - one of the brightest minds I know - was on Jeopardy a few months ago. She was way in the lead all the way through, having double the money of her competitors as they went into final Jeopardy. She bet the farm on the final question, and did not know the answer (Oddly enough, I did!).

She said it is much harder on stage than it is on your sofa - - and that it was one of the highlights of her life, even though she walked away with nothing.

Hello Linda;

  I have always described my experience on WOF as surreal... even now, it kind of still seems like a dream! It was an incredible experience, and was punctuated by the other 5 days my wife and I spent in that area. Neither of us had ever been there, so it was really something to see!

  Your friend is correct, it is MUCH easier at home :> I'm sorry to hear she didn't win, I could never even qualify for Jeopardy! I'm just a very good speller... haha!!

  Thanks for yor interest. HAPPY 2009!

JWS

1) I twirled baton at a young age (4-9) and have acquired nearly many trophies in competition. I would often be discounted points for biting my tongue in concentration.

2) I am somewhat of a tomboy and/or klutz, I have broken numerous bones in my body, both arms on one occasion and have more scars on my legs than my 14 year old, dare devil, nephew. He thinks I'm cool.

3) I was an avid skydiver for over 8 years and have just under 500 jumps... traveled around the country chasing altitude. Gave it up after to experience the world at ground level, things are so much bigger down here. I still miss the smell of the air at 1200 feet... I may get back into it again one day.

4) I love to sail and have spent a week at sea without touching land. I've sailed Lake Superior in September and have seen the weather change from 90 degrees to snowing within a week.

5) I dated my husband for 10 years before we got married in 2008... Now, that's commitment!

6) I am originally from Minneapolis, but lived in Florida at one time, I am still a Viking fan and can talk like I'm from Fargo on request.

7) I love what I do for a living!!!!

1.  I am afraid of Bee's!  I run & scream with flailing arms.

2.  Allergic to cats

3.  Had 8 eye surgeries before I was 9 years old; born with cataracts

4.  I think kids with glasses are the cutest & sweetest little thing and want to protect them from getting teased in school.  I used to wear coke bottles!

5.  Every day I am thankful for my beautiful children & my life

6.  I dressed my English Bulldog in a bikini for a photo contest!

7.  Margaritas are my favorite

This is a great topic - would love to see more entries. Here are seven things you don't know about me:

1. I proposed to my wife three days after our first date. She is my best friend and we have been married over 30 years.

2. All the men on my father's side for the last 100 years have had diabetes - but all were killed in unrelated car crashes (including my biological son).

3. All my children are adopted and I strongly recommend adoption.

4. I have founded or co-founded three non-profit organizations, all still operating.

5. While working at Kmart I met Muhammad Ali, Martha Stewart, Evil Kneivel, Ertha Kitt, Shari Lewis, Jaclyn Smith, and many other celebs.

6. My first apartment was in a complex the New England Patriots used for players that lived in other areas. I hung around the pool with many of the players during the pre-season and Defensive Guard Sam Adams's wife, Marilyn, worked for me as a cashier. Yet I never got free tickets to a game.

7. I once worked in the World Trade Center

1.  Until I was 34, I never lived any place more than 5 years.  My dad was what I call a "serial entrepreneur".  I've lived (in chronological order) in Texas, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Maryland, Ohio, New Hampshire, New York City, Philadelphia, New York City again, Cincinnati, Chicago and now Detroit.  Whew!

2.  I decided what college to go to (Denison University in Ohio) because of a dream I had when I was hallucinating from a fever.  It did turn out to be a great choice...

3.  My dad and two of his friends built 3 wooden Lightning sailboats in our basement.  He missed my mother's 30th birthday because of it.  (She was NOT happy!)  Later, one of my sisters fell out of the boat and nobody realized it until we had gone a bit farther.  That was a really fast turn-around!  But she was wearing her life jacket and was floating on the waves happy as a clam.  When we moved from Connecticut to Washington, D.C., someone who was trying the boat out to see about buying it smashed it on the rocks - end of our beautiful boat!  Then my dad turned to flying - and built an experimental aircraft in our basement.

4.  I have been to most of the states in the US (particularly the ones with national parks - I spent my 12th birthday in Yellowstone National Park), but have only been outside of the US to Mexico, Canada, all over the Caribbean, and to Ireland. 

5.  I was a theater major in college. (CAN YOU TELL???!)  I graduated from college a semester early, and spent that last semester on a work-study program for an off-Broadway theater in New York, and stayed to work for them until graduation.  I've never worked in theater since, but I use what I learned every day since college.  It has turned out to be the most practical impractical degree.

6.  I have two younger sisters, and my parents are still married - and we all get along!  Several years ago, the five of us took a road trip from Los Angeles up to San Francisco and back - 4 women in one car!  (My dad is s saint...)

7.  I sing first soprano, and recently joined the Troy Community Chorus.  I took voice lessons for 8 years in high school and college.  I couldn't sing harmony if my life depended on it, but I can sing just about any descant by sight.  I'm used to always being on top!

There's more, but the limit WAS 7...  It's amazing how more things come percolating up to share when you start thinking about this.

1. I've 'driven' a train.  My first job out of college was working for the Union Pacific Railroad.  Part of my training included a week in Sercy Arkansas working on the railroad. 

2.  I played high school soccer when girls soccer was new to the school systems (that's dating me, isn't it?!).  I was the only team member to brake an arm playing soccer.

3.  I had dinner in Chicago at the table next to Scottie Pippen.  The entire meal I was dying to send him a drink but chickened out.  I now refer to him as "My friend Scottie Pippen."

4.  Blackberries are my favorite fruit.

5.  My career has moved me throughout the midwest:  Omaha, Nebraska / Sioux City, Iowa / Minneapolis, MN and now Detroit!

6.  I LOVE beach vacations.

7.  I just want everyone to get along.  I hate conflict and fighting.  Life is too short!

4.  I got engaged to my husband after dating for one week, at the age of fifteen (he was twenty four).

6.  My husband had to be named my legal guardian before we could sign the mortgage on our first home.  I turned 18 a month later.

3. I know how to bait fish hooks, milk a cow, grow great tomatoes and then can them.  (oh, I guess that's 4 things!).

7.  My first job was cashier at the original Randazzo's fruit market for $1.65 per hour.

2.  My sister is also my sister-in-law as she is married to my husband's brother.

5.  My bowling average is 120.  I have bowled 3 games over 200 in my lifetime.

1.  We will celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary this Summer.

For some reason talking about meeting celebrities is something that brings out memories and builds relationships - even if people have met different celebrities.

I recently posted a comment about meeting celebrities while working at Kmart on a Kmart Alumni networking groupsite. I relayed the impact working with Martha Stewart and Jaclyn Smith had on me, which I covered in my book, "Life's Leadership Lessons".

Within days the comments about other celebrity meetings flooded the normally quiet groupsite. People were recalling their encounters with celebrities at Kmart. The memory share rekindled a lot of friendships.

1. Prior to launching my writing career, I worked as a dental assistant.

2. I have an adoptive brother that is seven months older than me. Growing up this always took people for a loop.

3. I am obsessed with my seatbelt bags by Harvey - www.seatbeltbags.com

4. It took me two marriages to find my one true love.

5. I love the bed and breakfast experience. There's always new treasures to find, new treats to eat, and grounds to explore.

6. To date, I have earned thirteen creative awards. I am very proud of each accomplishment and enjoy telling the tale when someone inquires while visiting my office.

7. I started my freelance copywriting business - Kodiak Creative - a year ago this month. It had been a dream of mine for over ten years and one I finally saw to fruition. It has been a very successful venture thus far.

1.) By far the coolest experience and trip I ever took was a trip to Cuba last July. What an eye-opening and humbling experience. I'm so thankful I got to go.

2.) I too have been skydiving. Scared the you know what out of me but I want to do it again. But ask me to go on a rollercoaster, NO WAY

3.) In the summer of 2008, my dad and I became certified Scuba divers so that we could dive on our Maui trip. Love it and don't get to do it enough. 

4.) I will NEVER work for anyone else again. Network Marketing is the most brilliant industry. I love the whole aspect of leveraging your time. 

5.) I'm not really sure if I could survive without my MacBook, internet, my iPhone and my GPS.