Ten on Tuesday (Thanks, Megan!)

Yes, I know it's Wednesday. But it's 4:21am on Wednesday, so I'm calling it Tuesday. Sometimes when one is on-call at the hospital, one does not sleep so well and must spend portions of the early morning hours updating one's blog. And watching "About Schmidt" at the hospital's on-call apartment. And speaking of oneself in the abstract.

My friend Megan (hi!) sometimes does a Ten on Tuesday list. Since I've been a bit dry in the well of ideas lately (an intensive short-term course plus a husband far away can do that to a person), I thought I'd borrow this one from her. So...

1. What accomplishment are you most proud of? 
I used to say running the Chicago marathon in 2002 was my proudest accomplishment. I kinda still can't believe I ran that far (especially since I haven't run over three miles in a stretch in the seven+ years since). It was cool to see that I could push my body that hard and it would actually do what I trained it to do. I'd like to do another one at some point, but I think a half-marathon may be all I have in me from now on, particularly because running gets really boring after about five miles.

Now, though, I'm proudest of pursuing a life of ministry. It's still a scary thing to me for many reasons, from a life of fairly low income, to the ways that it is possible to burn out or just plain get burned in ministry, to my own occasional battles with self-doubt (who am I to serve God's people in the church?), so I'm proud that I've kept going on the path to ministry, even when it's been tough. Even when it means that sometimes I'm awake all night long with a hospital pager. Even when it means spending this year apart from Daryl. Even when it means a more uncertain future.

2. How much did you weigh when you were born?
Around eight pounds, I think. Maybe just under.

3. What is your favorite perfume?
I've never worn perfume. I'm not really sure why. I usually use lotion or body spray from Bath & Body Works and they just discontinued my favorite (Juniper Breeze), so I'm going to have to find a substitute pretty soon. I think I'd like perfume. I definitely like the idea of it - it sounds professional and sophisticated and grown-up-ish. Maybe I'll have to find a good scent sometime soon.

4. How many siblings do you have?
Two younger sisters. And they rock. And they both live in Minnesota, which is just too darned far away from where I live. One is a college senior, studying art and making brilliant and beautiful things. The other is a waitress, wife, and mommy to the cutest 1 1/2 year old girl ever. They're incredible sisters and I love hanging out with them more than almost anything in the world.

As a side note, it's continually astonishing to me how many of my friends in graduate programs are firstborn children. Wheaton was packed full of first-borns. It's a wonder we don't all boss each other around to the point of violence...

I also have a brother-in-law. When I was five or six I was fixated on having an older brother. It's what I wanted most in the world. Needless to say, that was a tall order for my parents, who kept trying to tell me that it was pretty impossible at that point to get me an older sibling. Well - now I finally got one. And he rocks. And when Daryl and I visit, he always punches Daryl in the leg and makes him fall over. And it cracks me up every time.

5. How many children would you like to have? (Or how many do you have?)
Probably two. I used to tell people that Daryl and I want two kids because we don't want to be outnumbered, but then a friend of mine who has one kid told me that when you have one baby, you're already outnumbered. Good point. Still, at some point down the road we'll start with one, add another one, and then see how things are going.

6. What’s the best class you took in college?
I took so many incredible classes in college I can't name just one... All of the writing courses I took with David Wright and Kent Gramm changed my life. Jeff Thompson's Creativity Practicum (which really does defy description) was an experience unto itself. I loved Em Griffen's Communication Theory, which was really hard, but always began with a short reading from Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies. Also, he wrote the Comm. Theory book that most programs are still using today. And the book rocks. Dave Reifsnyder (who incidentally used to be a roadie for my Uncle Del's college band) taught Intro to Theater and Performance of Literature, both of which I loved.

And all of my tutorials in Oxford, which now seem kind of like a mysterious and wonderful dream (especially the writing course I took with the poet Kieron Winn. We met at his flat - which seems sketchy to me now, but was fairly commonplace in Oxford - and he used to throw books at his cat and serve me tea in flowered porcelain teacups). I can't believe I used to walk the streets of Oxford and drink tea and go to classes there. What a good time.

7. What was your favorite game to play when you were a child?
I grew up in the land of Capture the Flag. Loved it. I was never very good at it, but I loved it. As far as board games, I loved Candyland. Loved it.

8. What character on Friends are you most like?
I want to be Rachel, but I'm more Phoebe, especially in my more flustered moments. I like to think that as I get older I have more Rachel moments. In my nerdy moments I'm totally Ross.

Ross is my favorite. Luckily, Daryl is quite a bit Ross. He's part Ross, part Josh Lyman from the West Wing, and part George Clooney from Ocean's 11 (minus the felony part). Yeah, I'm just totally in love with the guy.

9. Are you a phone person? (ie: Do you like talking on the phone?)
I HATE being on the phone. I really hate it. I think my long-distance friendships suffer because I am so bad on the phone... My friend Sarah (hi!) and I really get each other this way. Often we'll call each other, get voicemail, and then just send an email instead. I think we're both happier that way.

I'm learning to be better on the phone. It helps that I'm forced to talk on the phone with Daryl and my family so far away... And whenever Inga calls me from Iraq it feels like an incredible privilege and not a chore to talk on the phone. I'm also always a little bit amazed to hear someone loud and clear who is not only halfway across the world but living in a war zone.

But so much is lost over the phone... I'd always rather talk in person.

10. What was the best vacation you ever took?
I'm with Megan on this one - can you ever beat a honeymoon? The honeymoon rocked. Daryl and I went to Cabo San Lucas (in January! and it was WARM!) where we walked on the beach, snorkeled, slept in until 11am every single day, and ordered loads of room service. It was blissful. Cabo was beautiful and the weather was amazing, but mostly I was just thrilled to spend so much uninterrupted time with the man I love.

Other than that, I loved all my travels from Oxford while I studied there (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Wales, London, Penzance). I will always be in love with all things Britain. Trains and tea and rainy weather and cultural politeness and biscuits and umbrellas and raincoats and hardback novels. I will always be miffed at why tea tastes so much better over there, even when I buy the same brand here... Their water must be magical.

I loved the trips my parents took me on (and sometimes still take me on!). My favorite two were Canada (Banff, Jasper, hiking, camping) and Germany and Austria (skiing, pastries, museums, driving on the Autobahn). The best moment of the Canada trip was when we checked into our campsite. We went to the Ranger's station to pay, and he suggested we go to the Visitor's Center to get information about the hiking trails in the area. We took his advice, and noticed that there was a free documentary playing at the center about the wildlife in the area. How educational! We sat down to watch the film. About five minutes in it became clear that it was not an educational documentary so much as a "When Animals Attack" film about grizzles. And we were going to go camping. In grizzly territory. Caroline (who was about twelve years old at the time) spent the entire trip jumping six feet straight into the air every time anyone within half a mile stepped on a twig. It was hilarious. It was also the gnat infestation of the century up there. My father also left the poles necessary for setting up our camper back in Wisconsin... And we had one small tent for five people. Oddly enough, I think the vacations where things go wrong often make the best memories. It was quite a memorable time.