100 Things about Mk

mk's photo is coming soon...

1. I emailed several of my friends and relatives to help me write this list.
2. I think that everyone should email their friends and relatives to help them write 100 Things list of their own just to see what people say about them.
3. The furthest response came from my cousin, Phil Collins, in England.
4. The longest list came from my friend Jackie Abodeely Fahey, who really wanted to be mentioned on my list.
5. My Dad wanted me to especially mention that he’s the best father in the whole world. It’s true – he is, but the scary part is that he’s as good as it gets.
6. There were two common themes in the responses – my travels and my cooking.
7. My friends have a way with words, especially Julie Kimball.
8. My older nephew, Chad, said that I should say that I like him better than anyone, even myself.
9. I let him think that.
10. At least, I don’t have to pay him for hugs, like my dad does.
11. I like to kiss Chad to get back at him for making snide remarks about the Chicago Bears.
12. Chad is fourteen, and doesn’t even like kisses from his mom.
13. My favorite person to talk to on the phone is my younger nephew, Greg.
14. When he was eight, he was convinced that I was never wrong.
15. I took both Chad and Greg to Orlando, Florida for a week just the three of us that year.
16. The boys do not understand my love for the Disney Princesses.
17. I love Disneyland. Since I grew up in Southern California, I have been there over thirty times. I can draw a map of the park from memory, complete with the location of the best bathrooms.
18. While in Florida, Chad, Greg and I went swimming with dolphins and rays at Discovery Cove.
19. The boys weren’t that impressed at the time.
20. The trip to Discovery Cove is now the part of the trip that they remember the most.
21. The boys want to know when we are going back to Florida.
22. Greg knows that whatever present he wants for Christmas or his birthday, I’m the one to ask.
23. When it came to helping me with this assignment, my Uncle Michael passed it off to his assistant, Karen.
24. I used to read novels during eighth grade math class.
25. My teacher encouraged me to continue when she found out I was reading The Thorn Birds.
26. She loved Richard Chamberlain.
27. She’s also a nun.
28. I still love to read. I read volumes four, five and six of the Harry Potter series in 96 hours straight.
29. I have a Cliff-Clavenesque love of trivia.
30. According to Julie, I don’t do anything halfway, for instance while others might say "I need to walk more", I take up marathons as a hobby.
31. I have completed 6 full marathons.
32. I never do the same event twice.
33. I have done marathons in Dublin, Anchorage, Chicago, Kona, Vancouver and San Francisco (The Nike Marathon for Women).
34. My mom would tell you that she has finished five marathons – she just hasn’t bothered to start one. She has done the last five miles at five of my marathons.
35. I’ve done two half-marathons in Chicago and Phoenix.
36. I plan to do between 6 and 8 half marathons in 2008.
37. I am trying to complete the six half-marathons that are part of the Heavy Medal Music Marathon series.
38. My philosophy is that it’s all about the medals and the vacation.
39. The week I started at Sittercity, I flew to Phoenix on Saturday morning, did the half-marathon on Sunday morning, flew home on Sunday afternoon and was back at work on Monday.
40. I have also done the Avon Breast Cancer Three Day 60 mile Walk from Kenosha, WI, to Chicago the last year that Avon had the Three Day.
41. I have walked more than 3000 miles and raised more than $20,000 for charity.
42. I have climbed to the top of Croagh Patrick in very poor visibility.
43. I am as proud of making it to the top of the “Reek” as I am of any marathon that I’ve done.
44. Eleven other family members, including my two nephews, made it to the top with me.
45. We were in Mayo Ireland for a family reunion of the descendents of my great-grandparents.
46. We had almost 100 people that descended from 5 of their 7 children at the reunion.
47. The house that my grandfather was born in in Ireland in 1899 is still in the family.
48. I’ve slept in that house.
49. I am a pathological picture-taker.
50. My photos have been published.
51. My favorite things to photograph are flowers.
52. My nephews and sister-in-law make fun of my love of photographing flowers.
53. I own six cameras.
54. I almost never use the LCD screen on my digital camera.
55. When my cousin’s daughter was in second grade, she had to send her ”Flat Ashley” to stay with someone for four months and send reports to the class about her activities.
56. This assignment was based on the book Flat Stanley.
57. Flat Ashley had her own first class seat on the way to Austin for Christmas.
58. I took Flat Ashley to the Museum of Science and Industry, Lincoln Park Zoo, a Broadway play, tea at the American Girl Store, and the Chicago Auto Show.
59. I used to sing the answer on my family’s answering machine.
60. People would call to hear it and were disappointed when they reached an actual person.
61. Two people actually sang their responses to the machine – Nadeen Lavi and Carmel Rita Moore.
62. According to Carmel Rita, I have great parties to sell just about anything anyone could use anytime, anyplace.
63. I’m not sure that CR has been to any of these parties.
64. I do love the Pampered Chef.
65. I have a Mardi Gras party every year to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma.
66. I make the Cajun food for the party from scratch.
67. Cajun cooking is very labor intensive; it’s based on French.
68. My King Cake gets rave reviews.
69. My greatest fear is running out of food for guests at a party.
70. I’m still eating jambalaya from this year’s party.
71. Jambalaya freezes really well.
72. Bread pudding is good for breakfast.
73. Chocolate and alcohol both give me bad headaches.
74. The two most common hostess presents are chocolate and wine.
75. I don’t believe in hostess presents.
76. I have received marriage proposals because of my banana cream pie.
77. Unfortunately, they all came from other women.
78. I make marshmallows from scratch.
79. I like to put them in my chai tea, since Hot Cocoa is out of the question.
80. My marathon coach, Donna, thinks the fact that I make homemade marshmallows is amusing.
81. She’s never had my marshmallows.
82. I have studied belly dancing.
83. I am convinced that I have six pack abs; they’re just better insulated than I would like.
84. Bicycles and I don’t get along.
85. I’ve been on a bicycle 3 times in the last 25 years.
86. I’ve flipped over the handle bars twice.
87. One of my life goals is to visit all of the Presidential Libraries. I have been to Reagan, Truman, LBJ, Nixon and FDR. All of these visits have been tied into visiting the area for some other reason.
88. I’m not sure why else I have to go to Abilene, KS.
89. I once interviewed my ninety-something year old grandparents on video to get out of taking a test in developmental psych.
90. I got an A in that course.
91. I make really good guacamole.
92. I grew up on an avocado ranch in Southern California.
93. I have painted murals on family member’s walls.
94. I hired a painter to do my place.
95. I don’t own a car.
96. My cousin lives around the corner from me.
97. The spare keys to his car live at my house.
98. I also have a designated seat in their minivan.
99. I have visited 4 continents, 15 countries and too many states to count.
100. I see the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die as a personal challenge.
101. I am normally very goal oriented on vacation. I like to plan in advance what I want to see. I check the 1000 Places first.
102. I was a “Brain Jock” in high school. I was captain of the Knowledge Bowl Team, MVP of the Academic Decathlon, a lawyer for Mock Trial and on the Speech Team.
103. I was the girl least likely to join GAA.
104. Did I mention that I do marathons?
105. Maybe if I had read less in math class, I would be able to count.