Spill-It Tuesday -

Hi!! :) 

First off, I realize the title is slightly crazy...but it came to me when I was buttering waffles, and that's what I'm sticking to. I just had a wave of wanting to blog and spill, so that's what I'm going with. :) I'll just number them as long as I have things to share, and then quit! Here goes - 

1. I am scared out of my mind of ..... moths. Yep. Moths. Few things incite panic like a moth flying around my head. I will scream and jerk around and try to hide behind other humans. They freak me out.  I'm fine with bats, spiders, snakes, most lizards, bugs, etc. Moths? Nope. I have this childhood fear of one getting in my mouth, and tell me that's not terrifying. GAH! 

2. I love most foods, but can't stand: eggplant, oysters, mussels, raw fish/meat, or tomato or cucumber seeds. Yes. If I'm at a friend's house, and they serve tomatoes on a sandwich, I just close my eyes and chew quickly and think about anything else, because I get sick just thinking about it. I can't eat huge pickles because the cucumber seeds are too squishy. (My nose is scrunched up just thinking about it). 

3. I'm allergic to bananas, red dye, and imitation cinnamon extract. I mean, I won't keel over and die instantly, but my mouth/throat gets really sore, my tongue swells and hurts and my lips the same. And bananas just make me sick, period. I used to be able to eat them a little, now - not even a bite. But I can eat plantains, and I looooove them, so all is good for the most part. :) 

4. One of my biggest pet peeves is when the car is quiet, so I turn on some music, and it also magically turns on the family's need to talk instantly. I can't drive with both conversation and also singing to country, so the music goes off. I know this is silly, but man, it drives me crazy! hahaha! 

5. I scream like a banshee when seaweed touches my legs. Why? Because it is SLIMY. I've been known to go into full-blown panic and even possible tears while treading dark waters because there was seaweed at the bottom. I freak out. I hate slimy stuff. 

6. I don't think I'm competitive until another sports car passes me. Then I think I'm from NASCAR or something and have to remind myself to obey the speed limits. hahaha. I can't stand it thinking that the other car thinks I couldn't catch up with them if I wanted to. Because I totally could. 

7. I've taught 3-5th grade Sunday School for almost 2 years now, and those kids crack me up on a weekly basis. Just when I think I possibly don't have enthusiasm for teaching, my kids pull me into the story and in the middle of shaking my head at how amazing they are, I've found my rhythm again. 

8. At night when I can't sleep, I write speeches in my head or find escapes out of situations.
(When I'm not listening to music on my ipod or praying, that is)

9. I can't stand eating Chinese food with anything but chopsticks. It feels so wrong. 

10. I feel most free when I'm sitting up in a tree or floating/body surfing in the ocean.

11. When I was little, I thought it was too much trouble to shell sunflower seeds, so I just put them in my mouth like all the baseball coaches did, but then I just crunched up the whole thing and swallowed it. 

12. I can't stand it when they put pop in my country music. It drives me crazy. Country is Old Alabama or anything that sounds them. Or at least try, for goodness sake! I love the weekends, when they play all the oldies that reminds me of being little, and hearing country on Saturdays and going to Lowe's with Dad. 

13. I love chocolate, but just because something is made with chocolate does not make it better in my book. Almost always if there is a choice between lemon something or chocolate something on a dessert menu, I'll want the lemon. I rarely choose a dessert or a food just because it has chocolate in it. :) My Mom is the exact opposite, haha. Cheesecake, however, is another story. 

14. I catch myself watching people with cameras. Ok, staring is more like it. My mind starts scrambling to find out what their camera is capable of, and usually if I catch their eye, I smile. I love seeing people capture life in photo form. It can get sticky though...if it's a dude and he realizes I'm staring. haha. 

15. I've always wanted to learn swing dancing. :) I love Contra', but swing is in its own category. :)

16. I love snakes, as long as they are non-venemous. I love swimming with sting rays, and I love squishing moon jellies because they make my hands so incredibly soft. 

17. I love sugar gliders, giraffes, otters, and ferrets. And pretty much every animal there is.

18. My 5 favorite preachers to listen to are: 

 Steven Lawson, R.C. Sproul, CJ Mahaney, Josh Harris, and John Piper. 

19. I was in a car accident last October and didn't tell y'all. *wince* I was fine, as were the other two passengers in my car (my unable-to-drive-after-crash-car), and it was by the grace of God alone. Thankfully, repairs were made, payment was made by the city (it was the trash truck's fault) and my car is happy and whole and drives as beautiful as ever! 

20. My nose is broken in two places. Heh. The bridge is fractured from when I was a little kid, and the septum is deviated (the cartilage is broken from the bone) from a few New Years Eve's ago, when a dog's head smashed into mine. Thank God I was watching his eyes, and jerked back, because if I hadn't pulled my head back, his bite would have bit over my eyelids instead of over my nose. Stare at my face for long enough and you'll see how it is crooked. ;) 

21. I can handle pretty much everything from vomit to blood to needles to guts to burns. But broken bones I can't handle. I can't look at it, I can't touch it, I can't think about it. It makes me super queasy. 

22. I've always wanted to donate blood, and I'm going to find time in the next month to do that! 

Since I'm really spilling the beans about everything, I'll go ahead and tell you this too - 

23. I'm no longer taking Bible classes. I'm in Photography school. *bites lip* YES. It takes students 1-3 years to complete, and I just completed my first semester at the end of May. I LOVE IT. I can't even tell you. :) It has been my dream for over 5 years to attend NYIP, and I just love being a part of it. I'm so thankful to have the freedom to pursue photography, and my family's full support! I know it's where I'm supposed to be, and I feel so free. I'm constantly learning and love getting better at it! 

It is the world's oldest and largest photography school, founded in 1910, and their headquarters are located in Manhattan. When I listen to the audio lectures, sometimes I hear sirens running in the distance, since they are right there in the city. :) I love the professors' way of teaching, and it's so fun! I don't know what line of photography I will be going into, I just know I love taking pictures. :)

(I can't believe I kept that a secret for 8 months, hahahaha) 

24. I can read a list of ingredients on a menu, and by thinking about each one tastes like, and then putting them all together, instantly know if I would like it or not. That's how I order. (maybe everyone does this? I don't know) I don't like getting the same thing twice (unless I love it and have to have it), and I love seafood so much that it trumps almost any other thing on the menu. Including dessert. :)

25. I'm turning a quarter of a century in 3 days. :D 
(My Sunday School kids think that's almost 80 - so helpful)

And that's it! That was a lot of spilling. Hahahaha. :) Just the kind of sharing I love.
Hope you all have a wonderful week, and leave a comment about something fun about YOU! :)

With much love,
~ Jean Marie ~