Therefore, here are some random and odd things that you may not know about me.

1. I was my high school valedictorian. (It was a VERY small school.) Actually a friend and I were co-valedictorians as we had a tied GPA.
2. I played the saxophone in elementary, middle and high school.
3. I married my husband twice.  We renewed our vows on our 10th Anniversary. He asked “Do they expire?” ->
4. I can say the alphabet faster backwards than I can forward. (Ask me when you see me next time or maybe I'll record it and put it up here.)
5. I am freakishly afraid of rats, and actually anything that's furry and smaller than a cat. (I can't even watch the movie Ratatouille.) However, I don't mind spiders, worms, snakes, or cockroaches.
6. I went to hear Stephen Hawking speak at a University and we got backstage passes. (They would have been VIP tickets, I guess. It wasn't a rock concert.) I was able to stand by him the entire time and even had my hand resting on his chair. I doubt that I soaked up any of his brilliance, but I like to think maybe I did.
7. I may be considered a Professional Mini Golf player. I still haven't confirmed it. But I did work at a mini-golf place and part of my job duties were to play when there were no customers to have someone out there. So, it could be argued that I was paid to play mini-golf, which would make me a professional.
8. During my first podcast interview (when Kelly McCausey interviewed me for WAHM MVP), I grabbed the phone, hid in my bathroom and drank a beer…. during the interview. I may have done that more than once, but I'm not confessing.
9. I have slept in a canoe and on a picnic table. (Not at the same time.)
10. Over the years, I have worked at:
    • KFC (for 1.5 years)
    • As a Camp Counselor (lived at the camp one summer)
    • At a Mini-Golf place
    • At a Motel (front desk, cleaning and managing when the owner went out of town)
    • At Kmart
    • In the shipping department for a mail order sporting goods store in which we mostly shipped hunting and fishing supplies
    • In Purchasing at a Bank, and in Operations at that same Bank – writing manuals.
11. I haven't eaten pig or cow or any mammals on purpose since 1992. Of course, I'm sure there's been beef broth or bacon in stuff that's been served to me over the years, but it's not like I buy a steak or eat a pork chop.
12. I'm a huge Packers fan and have been for decades. We even have season tickets, despite living in Florida.

    

    Our jerseys say 95 as that was the year we were married and they were our honeymoon uniforms.

13. I love snorkeling and would like to snorkel in countries around the world. (So far have only hit Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Port St. Joe Florida)
14. I taught my daughter over 200 American Sign Language signs before her 2nd birthday so we could communicate starting at about 7 months old. I actually applied to get certified as a Baby Sign Instructor to teach classes to other moms. One of my letters of recommendation got lost in the mail to the company – so I decided to try this internet thing instead of asking my mentor to send another one.
15. I walked a marathon (yes, all 26.2 miles) in 1999.
    
16. I once had a fortune cookie with no fortune. (Scared me!)
17. I took belly dancing classes for a year. In the class with me were a man and also an 80 year old woman. Both were better than I was.
18. I am terrified of flying, but I take anti-panic meds and make myself do it so I can travel. I fly 6-10 trips per year. But, it's not fun – at all, even though I am getting better than I was a few years ago. (I have tips for what has helped if anyone needs them.)
19. I love exploring caves. They make me happy.
20. I fed a giraffe. (Their LONG black tongues feel weird.)
    It happened the day that picture was taken, but I can't find the picture with me in it. (Look how sweaty my kids are. Cute hair!)
21. I once opened an egg that had two yolks in it.
22. Since 2010, I made it a goal to leave the country at least once per year – just so my passport doesn't feel neglected. (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, I missed 2015 so I traveled twice in 2016 – all done.) So far, I've spent time in Latvia (twice), Bahamas (twice), Costa Rica, Mexico, Ireland, Jamaica, and Canada.
23. I have 2 tattoos. Got the first one when I was 19 and don't regret it. (Although since it's old and stretched, the kids say that it looks like an angry gorilla.) I got my second one recently.

    

24. I broke my nose 5 times. Actually my son broke it the last time when he was 18 months old with the back of his head.
25. I have been and will forever be a Star Trek fan. I've even went to a convention in Portland, Oregon in the 1990s.
26. Thanks to a very special girl, I can say about 20 words passably in Latvian.
27. Thanks to the same special girl, I have a Latvian granddaughter that I adore.
28. I am an extreme introvert. Like really. While I love doing things and have adventures, I avoid shopping malls and large crowds whenever possible.
29. I could live the rest of my life alternating between eating only burritos or sushi. LOVE them.
30. I don't try to avoid jury duty. When I get called, I go. After all, if I was in trouble, I would want good people there deciding my fate.
31. I named my daughter after a Jimmy Buffet song.
32. I am currently in an 8 month program to become a yoga instructor.
33. I ate 28 year old cheese. It was … crunchy.

What About You? What don't I know about you?

Answer in the comments below. Or, if you decide to do a blog post like this one, please link to it in your comment.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

Here is last week's post that you can catch up on –

5 Things you Can Outsource to Make Blogging More Fun and Profitable

Also, if you missed the now INFAMOUS Star Trek series at my friend, Bob's blog, go check it out.  It's too much fun.

Lessons I've learned about Online Business from Star Trek

The pictures are hilarious. (A huge thank you to Angela Bradley for whipping those graphics up for me on such short notice.) In fact, at NAMS last week, I had several people come up to me and say “Oh my GOSH! I loved that Star Trek series!” – It totally blew me away, but I am sure glad that everyone had fun at my expense. Two words — Man Hands! lol!

Next week is the final week of my 2009 Summer Blog Tour, but don't despair. I've gotten a list of people who would like me to drop by and do a guest blog series, so you may see me around posting in other strange and unusual places — being strange and unusual.

Oh, be sure to drop by the blogs above and comment. I'm still behind in giving away prizes due to traveling so much lately. So you have time to sneak in a few comments before I get together with the blog owners to pick winners.

As always, thank you for reading. Thank you for your trust in me. And thank you for being a part of my online family.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean