Top 10: Things You Might Not Know About Me - Part 1

I've been thinking about how technology, specifically things like blogging and Facebook, have changed the way we build relationships now. There's less chatting face-to-face over coffee, and more possibilities of creating an image of how you want people to see you rather than the allowing people to see the reality of how nasty you can actually be in the morning before coffee. ;-) I've tried to be very real on this blog and on Facebook, but I've found that the more real I am and the more of myself I put out there, the more drama I have to deal with, and that gets old.

However, that doesn't mean that I want to stop being myself - even if it's a digital, byte-sized (pun intended) version of me. I am more selective in what I post or say on Facebook because I've learned (the hard way) that people will say more when there are computer screens between you, than they might be willing to say if you were sitting down face-to-face. It's harder (for me) to be quite as blunt (though not always - thanks to my quick temper, ah hem...) when I have to look in the eyes of the person with whom I'm (strongly) disagreeing.

So, this is your friendly reminder that behind those biting words on your FB status or blog is a real person who might be going through a whole lot you don't know about, or who might even be rather shy in real life, but feels safe to type things they wouldn't otherwise say. Be kind in your words as well, if there's any question as to whether or not you should type it and hit "send" - DON'T SEND IT. And be real - you'll never make everyone like you or agree with you, but that doesn't mean you need to change to avoid conflict. Do you like my soapbox? I certainly feel taller when I'm standing on it. ;-)

If you're still reading, hey there! This is really just for fun, and maybe you'll learn something about me that surprises you. :-) It got way too long in a hurry, so this will be a two-part series. Come back next week to learn 5 more things about me (if you care). :-)

Carrie's Top Ten Things You Might Not Know About Carrie :-)

1. I have been called "Joseph" by my siblings for years (comes from me being the late surprise to my folks when my siblings were 13, 16, 18, and 20). As a child, it made me mad when they called me "Joseph", but as an adult, I laugh and enjoy it. I hope that if I were ever in as bad a situation as Joseph was, I would be as strong in my faith and convictions as he was. (Check out his story in Genesis 37 and 39-50.) 
2. I met my husband (Peter) just a few days shy of my 15th birthday. He was 21. We became good friends and then Peter fell in love - true story - while I berated him for ruining a perfectly good friendship by dragging romantic feelings into it. Silly me! A few months later we went on our first "official" date (which was awkward until we ditched the "date" idea and went to play miniture golf as friends - then we had a great time!) on June 17, 1998. I was 16 years old, he was 23. One year later, on June 17, 1999, we made our engagement official (long story) with a ring. I was 17 and Peter was 24. There were a lot of skeptics out there, but we never questioned that God had put us together. On June 17, 2000 - notice a pattern here - we exchanged rings and started on the greatest adventure of our lives which has taken us, as Bilbo Baggins would say, There and Back Again.

3. My first car was a lovely 1992, dark blue, Honda Accord stationwagon. We named her "Madame Blueberry" a la Veggie Tales. It was a faithful car that we sold when we went to the missionfield, but I would take her back if I could. Reliable, good looking, and oh so practical. It was amazing the amount of stuff you could pack in that car!

4. I attended three colleges (not counting a correspondence attempt which we won't discuss - EPIC FAIL) before finally graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with areas of emphasis in English, Public Relations, and Journalism. That's right. I got a B.S. in English. But that was the degree that was offered through the Tennessee Board of Regents Online Degree Program. Going to school online saved me loads of money and time, and since I was homeschooled from K-12 (hey, a bonus fact!), I was used to working independently. Unlike the previous failed correspondence class, the RODP program gave me enough interaction and structure that keeping up with the work wasn't a problem. Although my diploma says, "East Tennessee State University" - I never attended one class there or had one professor from there. But a degree is a degree and I took it and ran!
5. Are you bored yet? Well, here's the fifth and final fact of the day. When Peter and I got married, I begged him for a dog. After 6 months of marriage (and a tank of fish), we moved back to where we met and I grew up and we purchased a home with a fenced-in yard. In other words, it was dog ready. I knew I wanted a Golden Retriever because that was the kind of dog I grew up with - the perfect dog. Unbeknownst to me, Peter had always wanted a St. Bernard. Well, the semi-quick version of the story is that we ended up with a "little" butterball St. Bernard who we named "Daisy". She quickly grew into a 120 lb. hyper-active, ADHD, bouncing, drooling, bit of craziness. Seriously sweet though, but amazingly HYPER. We didn't know St. Bernards could be this way - and apparently we had one in a million who was. After 5 years with Daisy, we were leaving to go to the missionfield and none of our friends or family were willing to take care of her while we were gone (I can't imagine why that would be!). I did a bunch of research and finally gave her to a St. Bernard Rescue woman about an hour away from us. I sobbed. But she went to a great family and the last we heard, she's one of the most spoiled and loved dogs ever born. :-)

   

So there you have it, five things you might not have known about me. Next week you'll get the final five and I'll try to keep them a wee bit shorter so I don't bore you to death! :-) If you want to leave a comment and tell me something about yourself, I'd love to get to know you better!