Answers: Revealed!

1) I failed my driving test the first time through.
True. Sadly, I did fail it the first time around. The weird part is that I had a 100% score. Until it came to parallel parking. Now before you start shaking your head at me, know that I was really good at parallel parking. And spending as much time living in Chicago as I have, I can get into a parking spot of any size. I so badly wanted to pass that I was being extra careful to give myself as much room as possible and slowly slowly kept backing up into the right place. I touched the little cone and gave myself a little more room… and then I discovered I discovered how light and unbalanced those cones were. Oops. Ugh. I went back the next day and passed with a score of 97. I’m still bitter though.

2) I've been engaged three separate times, although only married once.
True. I actually have been engaged three times. The first time engagements I broke off before too many plans were made – and those were definitely the right choices for me, and probably for them. Call me young and stupid, but at least I recognized it.

3) My first job was as a dog walker in my neighborhood.
False. Technically, I suppose my first job was babysitting. But my first real paid job where I had to pay taxes and so forth was working as a receptionist at a vet’s office. Prior to working there, I was going to study to be a vet. After that summer, the option of being a vet was no longer an option.

4) I have never been peed on while changing a diaper.
True. Mommy is smart. Mommy placed a special little towel over Mister Man whenever the diaper was changed. I didn’t actually go for the wee wee tee pee (yes, they make it), but a little towel works just as well. My husband on the other hand… let’s just say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Our poor walls.

5) My sixth grade teacher put pepper polish on my nails to keep me from biting them.
True. Sadly, that one is true. Ahhhh, Mrs. Hodge. Ironically enough, I didn’t chew them because I was nervous or really because it was a habit or anything else like that. No, instead I used my teeth to shape them properly. And using your teeth just isn’t very effective. So I’d then have to shape the other side. I finally figured out that just carrying an emery board with me was far easier. That was the end of the “nail biting.”

6) My favorite food is pizza.
False. Fortunately for my waistline, pizza is not my favorite food. It’s actually sushi. Which I had for dinner tonight. And really wish I had more for tomorrow. And the next day. I never had sushi until after I’d graduated from college – my mom wasn’t exactly the most adventurous cook or eater – but I’ve been a huge fan ever since. I could literally eat it breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Pizza’s not bad, but I’ll take the sushi anyday.

7) My first car was a Ford Escort.
False. Nope, my first car was an Explorer. It’s in the Ford family, but not an Escort. My mom wanted me to be safe. In fact, my second car after I graduated college was also an Explorer. I finally sold it last year.

8) I played the flute growing up.
True. I started out with the piano but grew tired of that after a few years. I was never going to be truly great. I tried the flute, since my mom wouldn’t let me quit and the teacher happened to also give instruction on the flute. I only did it for a year because I had issues with my pinkies locking and being unable to play. My mom finally let me quit then.

9) I have a tattoo on my shoulder.
False. I have no tattoos. Every time I see a tattoo, my first thought is wondering what it will look like in thirty years. Or after pregnancy. And that’s generally enough to remove any thought of getting a tattoo from my mind.

10) Had Mister Man been born a girl, he would have been named Kiersten Anabel.
True. I love the name Kiersten – and had a friend growing up named Kiersten who owned horses named Harmony and Melody. By the time Little Miss was born, we’d decided on a new name though. And Kiersten doesn’t fit her, so good choice.

11) Had Little Miss been born a boy, she would have been named Andrew Michael.
False. We were originally debating between Andrew James and James Andrew. But then we decided that wasn’t good and finally decided on James Spencer, with a nickname of Jamie. This was decided as we were driving to the hospital. About five minutes before we got there. Apparently we were destined to have a girl.

12) I drink between 80 and 120 ounces of water a day.
True. I love water. I drink it constantly. I have a set of 40 ounce stainless steel bottles that I constantly switch out and drink from. People laugh at me at work when I bring the mug around with me to meetings. And then finish it. I don’t drink pop or coffee or juice or anything else though, so … lotsa water.

13) I have Girl Scout cookies in my cabinet that are almost two years old.
True. Another one sadly, true. I like the concept of Girl Scout Cookies more than I actually like eating them. And I’m one of those very weird people who can open up a package of cookies and take a few months to eat them. (Yes, I’m ducking as I write that.) Once my husband discovers the stash, they’ll be gone though!

14) My elbows are double jointed.
False. My fingers are – all ten of them… which is the issue I had with playing the flute. I actually am not really sure what double jointed elbows would look like.

15) I have never watched Survivor.
False. But I’ve never watched an entire episode. Nor do I know who wins. The only time I saw it, I was in a Sears tire center (what are those places called?) with the guy I was dating at the time getting the battery of his car changed – I can’t remember if it was an unexpected stop or not, but I’m guessing it was. Survivor was on the tv above our heads, so … we sat there and watched. Wipeout and I Survived A Japanese Game Show are more my style reality tv.

16) My husband has never seen my natural hair color.
False. I can’t say that I’ve never dyed my hair, as in college my best friend tried dying my hair more auburn that it is naturally. I’m a child of the depression though, and I’m cheap. The thought of having to spend that much money to touch up my hair that often makes me cringe. And I know that I’d never find the time to do it either considering how much I sometimes struggle to find the time to do anything for myself. I haven’t had my hair cut even since January and before that August. I think I’m making a good choice for myself!

I loved seeing your answers… and the explanations there at the end? Perfect! I’ll definitely do this again one day. There are lots of random facts – and fictions – that I can share.

What Do You People Think Of Me?

I had a lot of fun putting together my truths and lies on Saturday. In fact, if you all enjoyed it anywhere near as much as I did, I may do another version sometime.

Looking at the answers some of you put up there, I'm beginning to wonder what you think of me. I was a little disappointed that not a single person thought me not remembering Little Miss's birthweight was a lie. And so many of you thought I was a lush in high school. And apparently many of you think I still bite my fingernails.

Without further ado, here's the answer key:

My first plane flight was when I was four years old.
False For some odd reason, I was on a plane at 6 months old. I'm not really sure what my parents were thinking or why they went on vacation with me at that point, as it isn't like they were made of money, but ... I was on a plane early.

I used to own a retired racehorse.
True I was way into horses ever since I was a little girl. I rode all the time and eventually moved to a barn where you had to own a horse to ride. I put it off as long as I could, but I eventually got a horse. He was off the track, which means he was a failed thoroughbred racehorse. His registered name was Antoine le Count. I quickly changed it to Schnaz (I was in high school so please don't ask why), and his show name was Going My Way. He was a pretty cool guy, and I miss him. Someday I'll start riding again.

I don't eat mushrooms.
True I have a lot of food issues. This is one of them. Mushrooms, especially their texture, just gross me out. I won't eat foods that have them in them. Even picking them out doesn't always do it, as there's an icky mushroom taste left behind frequently. I'm a PITA, I know.

I'm allergic to grass.
False Luckily. That is one of the (many) allergies that I would not want to have.

I've never been in a car accident.
False C'mon, have I not said anything about my mom's driving record? My mom who flipped her car three times going down an icy exit ramp and then used scissors to cut my sister out of her seatbelt (we were upsidedown) because she couldn't think to actually unbuckle the seatbelt? No? Oh. And ummm yeah. I've had a couple myself. Knock on wood not any in years and years.

I was admitted to medical school but never attended.
True Thank you for all you nice people who didn't immediately jump on this one as false. The people I work with usually chose this as my one lie. I wasn't sure how to take that. I went to Northwestern as part of their HPME program, where I was accepted to the NU medical school out of high school and would have done three years undergrad before graduating and moving to med school. Four weeks into my coursework, I realized that I hated science and didn't want to go to med school. Oops.

I never had a drop of alcohol until I was in college.
True Really, people. I'm disappointed at how many of you guessed that this was a lie. Actually, alcohol is a little too close. I know the problems that alcohol can cause, and I know that with my family's history I'm susceptible to issues, so I always stayed far away from it. I can count on one hand the times I can think of where I've been drunk, drunk. The fact that I hate to be out of control has nothing to do with it, I swear! But I did discover Peach Schnapp's my freshman year and would occasionally imbibe. But none of my friends in high school even drank.

I still bite my fingernails.
False And again, thank you people who think I still do! I did bite my fingernails for a long time growing up. I hated when I would get a hangnail or part of a nail would break off, so I'd chew at it to try to get it even again. Which never worked and always involved more and more evening until I had no nail left. My sixth grade teacher even bought and put on some spicy thing to try to get me to stop. I did at some point on my own, though. I still hate it when my nails aren't even though.

I can sing the alphabet backwards.
So true. So very true, in fact. Someday I'll video myself doing it. Maybe. When Mister Man was little, the only way to keep him quiet in the car was to sing to him. He hated being in the car and would cry and cry when he wasn't being touched or held. So I sang. A lot. The same songs over and over. Driving the forty-five minutes to my parents (fortunately, we're closer now), I could only sing the same song for so long. Eventually I entertained myself by singing the alphabet backwards -- among other made up songs. Ooo, I'll have to video Little Miss and her mouthwash song someday, speaking of fun made up songs.

I can't remember my daughter's birthweight.
True I hate to admit it, but ... I think she was 7'3" but I can't swear to it. I had a really hard birth with her in terms of my physical stability and health. I was violently ill, couldn't warm up after the surgery, didn't tolerate the morphine, etc. I feel like such a horrible mom for not knowing this. And I want to say that she was born at exactly 9:15am, but I can't swear to that either. I need to dig out her birth certificate. Second child syndrome, ya know?

I don't know how to swim the breast stroke.
False I do. Fortunately. I took swim lessons growing up because my mom doesn't know how to swim. (Truly, not at all would drown if in over her head in two seconds doesn't know how to swim) She felt it was really important. I never made it to the butterfly stroke part -- or at least I could never figure it out -- but I can do the breaststroke.

Phew! So what do you think? Kinda fun? Feel free to steal this idea if you want. And if I'm inspired (or uninspired rather), I think I will try this one out again!