If You Knew Me

                 Photo taken by my talented brother two years ago in a fall photo shoot we did just for fun

This post was inspired by Kristin, a new blog friend, who writes a lovely blog called Vignettes. She wrote an "If You Knew Me" post that was so enjoyable to read, it was so honest and lively. I usually try to make my posts less about me and more about things that are interesting or fun or beautiful, but inevitably, my blog does reflect me and my personality and who I am. And I know from my own experience in reading blogs that it's sometimes nice to be let into the writer's world, to get a chance to "know" them like you might know a friend. 

The best part is that I hope you will be inspired to write your own "If You Knew Me" post, or share something about yourself in the comment section below. I'll think of this as a chance for all of us to have (virtual) coffee together and chit-chat about life!

So, if you knew me, you'd know...

-When I was young I always had this feeling--sort of a sixth sense--that I would someday marry a military man (and I have).

-I have to start out my morning with a hot drink, preferably coffee or tea, but it has to be hot! It's much more about the heat and flavor than the caffeine for me.

-Going into my freshman year of college, the thing I was most nervous about was passing the swim test. I had practiced laps all summer long in my best friend's pool. I could barely walk when I got out of the pool after taking the test (how embarrassing--I am not and never was a swimmer) but I did pass.

-I have the same birthday as my mother-in-law and it happens to fall on our nation's D-Day.

-I've always preferred one-on-one friendships, as opposed to having a gaggle of girlfriends.

-I never re-read books. Subconsciously, I think it's because I know there's an endless number of great books out there--I want to read them all and while I know I'll never be able to, it seems my goal will be better reached if I'm always reading something new. But really, I wish I did enjoy re-reading. (Perhaps getting older and forgetting favorite books will prompt me to re-read?)

-I have only brothers and my husband has only sisters, so when we got married, we each gained what we did not have (and I adore my sister-in-laws, by the way).

-I once lost a best friend and it's something that still makes me very sad.

-I overthink--a lot. (My parents can attest to this one.) In fact, I was failing fifth grade math at one point (how hard could fifth grade math have been?) simply because I was thinking too hard.

-I love the dark, brooding, inward music of Russian composers such as Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, and Stravinsky.

-I've never gotten a speeding ticket (which doesn't necessarily mean I never speed.....).

-I love wearing heels even though I'm 5'11".

-I attended the funeral of former U.S. President Gerald Ford. Around that same time, I went to a Kennedy Center concert and sat next to Condoleezza Rice (who happens to be a classical pianist too). My dad had a job at the time that provided such incredible experiences as these, and I'll always be thankful for that.

-My husband and I have a rule that whoever is last to get up makes the bed. There may or may not have been a few times when we both woke up at the same time and raced to be the first one to jump out of bed.

-One of my favorite things to do in the kitchen is saute onions--the smell is heavenly and I love the way they become soft and transparent, and then dark and caramelized and sweet.

-There's nothing more comforting to me when I'm sad/anxious/worried than saying a prayer.

-I'm grumpy when I'm hungry!

-I met my husband the second weekend of my freshman year at Notre Dame, when I was 18 and he was 22, and I've always felt lucky I didn't have to wait long to find him.

And now it's your turn!