Tagged

Rick Meigs at Blind Beggar tagged me, so here’s my go at five things that people may not know about me:

1. I play the hammered dulcimer. I started playing when I was six years old. I asked my parents if we could get a piano and because we did not have room or money for one, they bought me a hammered dulcimer instead. I have taken lessons, played numerous weddings and worship services, recorded, and played at the Pike Place Market and on a streetcorner (which led to an imprompteau gig in a club) in Nashville.

2. I am horribly, terribly, irrationally afraid of spiders. It does not matter if they are large or small. Once I was home alone for the weekend and when I discovered a spider on the floor, I proceeded to pile twenty or so books on top of it to at least contain it until Doug came home the next day. Large seminary textbooks can come in VERY handy.

3. I hope to someday live in South Africa with Doug and the kids. Doug and I both visited the country (on two separate trips with our respective Christian colleges) during the weeks before the first free election in 1994. It was an amazing, life-changing experience for both of us.

4. I was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago after receiving the President’s Service Award in D.C. for my work with at-risk youth in Chicago. The limo came around 6am, hair and make-up were a trip, and I got to meet Juwan Howard and Billy Baldwin backstage. Oh, and her diamond stud earrings were as big as my head.

5. I pass out at the sight of blood. And at the dentist. And during eye doctor appointments. And in biology class (I got yelled at because my teacher thought I had fallen asleep). Any kind of medical discussion can get me, especially spines and eyes. I think I am getting better as I get older (and since having kids), and I find it interesting that my favorite TV shows are often medical dramas. Oh, and it is genetic! My dad, cousin and sister all have it.

So, there you go.

Now I’ll tag Tyler, Julie, Ted, Don and Jeremy.