1. When I was little I would talk to everyone I saw. My mom told me that she would take me to the grocery and if she walked away to look for a food item while I was sitting in the cart, when she came back I'd be having a conversation with the first person who happened by. "How many kids do you have?" "What's your dog's name?" I guess that was a good set-up for my future career in sales.
2. I grew up in small town Ohio but got a scholarship for springboard diving to University of Hawaii here on Oahu. It was quite a shock to be the only blonde person in my huge lecture classes. I learned a lot that year about being a minority and I didn't really mind it. I still like learning about other cultures.
3. I am a cancer survivor! Haven't actually written about that on this blog yet... maybe I'll tell the whole story one of these days... I was diagnosed 3 days after completing the 1/2 IM at Wildflower in 1999. That year I went 5:42 with Hodgkin's Disease growing in my lymph nodes (I knew something was wrong with me that day but didn't know what- thought it might have been mono). A year later, cured after 4 months of chemo and a month of radiation, I raced Wildflower again. I don't remember my time, although I know it was over 6 hours. The treatment was worse than the disease! Although, I'm still alive today so there's something to be said for the treatment. :) The picture below is from Wildflower 2000. Lance had won his first Tour the year prior (while I was going through treatment) and was totally my hero. I actually thought we were destined to be married. :) My friends called me Armstrong for like a year...
3a. By the way this picture was of my second chemo treatment. I was wearing my finisher's shirt from the Buffalo Springs 1/2 IM that I did 10 days after my first chemo treatment. My mom thought I was crazy to still go through with that race after starting chemo, but my doctor told me that if I felt like I could do it to go for it. I think I still finished that race under 6 hours which was pretty cool. And I still have the finisher's shirt.
4. After that ordeal with cancer, I thought it high time I see the world. I was a teacher at the time so I applied to teach internationally. In 2000/2001 I taught 3rd grade at an International School in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was an incredible year. I had 19 kids from 10 different countries in my class and I swear I learned more from them that year than they did from me. I also got to travel around to a bunch of southeast Asian countries, a lot on my own, that year. Too many tales to tell here and now, but I follow Michele in Malaysia's blog because many of her stories feel so familiar to me!
4. After that ordeal with cancer, I thought it high time I see the world. I was a teacher at the time so I applied to teach internationally. In 2000/2001 I taught 3rd grade at an International School in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was an incredible year. I had 19 kids from 10 different countries in my class and I swear I learned more from them that year than they did from me. I also got to travel around to a bunch of southeast Asian countries, a lot on my own, that year. Too many tales to tell here and now, but I follow Michele in Malaysia's blog because many of her stories feel so familiar to me!
5. I love country music! I got addicted to it while living in Arizona and haven't stopped listening in 10+ years. In fact, I remember one year when I was training for an Ironman, I made a playlist that was 3 hours long of straigh country music for my long run. And i had a great run. :)6. I totally can't surf, which comes as a surprise to me since I love the ocean so much and was a gymnast for 10 years growing up... you'd think I have the skills. But the few times I've tried it I haven't bgeen good at it. I get all scared and as soon as I stand up on the wave I scream and jump off. My husband grew up on the beach here in Hawaii and is a big wave surfer, so these days I just go to the beach and hang out and watch him (and since the first winter swell appears to be arriving today we're headed up the the north shore here in a few minutes). I'll post a picture from him surfing today later after we get back. ;)
Ok, next up TAGGED...
Rachel
Angela
Kate
Alicia
Kelley
Ellen
Allison
4 comments:
WOW!! Amazing facts about you. That's unbelievable that you are a cancer survivor and took the time abroad afterwards. It was nice to read more about you.
I see the 5 random things meme is still making its way around. Here's a url to the one I did before, but my five things are way less interesting than yours.
http://aliciaparr.com/blog/?p=587
:)
tagged! what does that mean?
anyway, i can't wait for the baby to come as well..is wish you would get SKYPE and then i would see you and the new addition! so, download it will ya?
miss ya
ellen in kuwait
Sheesh.. just catching up on the blog and had NO IDEA about the cancer survivor. You are a stud :)
Have to think of five things.. then I'll be in.
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